A method for enhancing optical properties of sintered, zirconia ceramic bodies and zirconia ceramic dental restorations is provided. The porous or pre-sintered stage of a ceramic body is treated with an yttrium-containing composition and sintered, resulting in sintered ceramic bodies having enhanced optical properties. The enhanced optical properties may be substantially permanent, remaining for the useful life of the sintered ceramic body.

A method for enhancing optical properties of sintered, zirconia ceramic bodies and zirconia ceramic dental restorations is provided. The porous or pre-sintered stage of a ceramic body is treated with an yttrium-containing composition and sintered, resulting in sintered ceramic bodies having enhanced optical properties. The enhanced optical properties may be substantially permanent, remaining for the useful life of the sintered ceramic body.

A dental crown composed of fiber mesh sheets of fiberglass, aramid, carbon or quartz fibers embedded within dentally acceptable resin. The combination of both materials synergistically add unsurpassed strength and enhanced cosmetic value to the dental crown for a much lower price due to the cheaper costs of the material and manufacturing process.

Filmogenic compositions are described for topical anaesthetic bioadhesives (TABs) comprising a) a xanthan biopolymer matrix selected from Xanthomonas species and pathovars, including Xanthomonas campestris pathovars campestris and maninhotis, and Xanthomonas arboricola pathovar pruni, a producer of pruni xanthan, wherein the matrix is made of pure or combined xanthan varieties in any proportion, said matrix comprising between 1% and 95% by weight of the total weight of the composition, and additives or excipients; b) at least one anaesthetic, in a proportion of 0.1% to 50% by weight of the total weight of the composition. The topical anaesthetic bioadhesives (TABs) are also described, and they may be applied to the gingival mucosa and/or alveolar mucosa on the buccal (1) or lingual/buccal (2) surfaces with extensions and anatomical contours for crowns of the upper and lower dental arches.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a colored blank, which contains zirconium dioxide and is intended for the manufacture of a dental restoration, whereby raw materials in powder form, at least some of which contain one coloring substance each, are mixed with, zirconium dioxide as the main ingredient, the resulting mixture is pressed and subsequently subjected to at least one thermal treatment. To generate the desired fluorescence, it is intended that in the raw materials in powder form one uses as coloring substances at least terbium, erbium, cobalt, as well as one substance that generates a fluorescence effect in the dental restoration, however not iron, aside from naturally occurring impurities.

Provided is a zirconia sintered body that suppresses discoloration due to porcelain. The zirconia sintered body comprises at least one of a coloring agent A: erbium oxide and a coloring agent B: nickel oxide, and a composite oxide of zirconium and vanadium.

The present invention relates to a method of fabricating an improved lithium silicate glass ceramic and to that material for the manufacture of blocks for dental appliances using a CAD/CAM process and hot pressing system. The lithium silicate material has a chemical composition that is different from those reported in the prior art with 1 to 10% of germanium dioxide in final composition. The softening points are close to the crystallization final temperature of 800° C. indicating that the samples will support the temperature process without shape deformation.

The invention refers to a method for producing a dental restoration comprising a lithium silicate glass or glass ceramic as well as a dental restoration inself. The invention further refers to a ingot with the same composition having a defined strength.

Radically polymerizable dental material which contains (a) at least one polyfunctional radically polymerizable monomer, (b) at least one further radically polymerizable monomer which can be monofunctional or polyfunctional, (c) at least one photoinitiator for the radical polymerization and (d) at least one filler. The material is characterized in that the mixture of the monomers (a) and (b) has a refractive index of from 1.50 to 1.70 and in that the refractive index of the monomer mixture before the curing corresponds to the refractive index of the filler used or is higher by up to 0.013 and after the curing is higher than the refractive index of the filler by at least 0.02.

In one embodiment, the present application discloses a photo-cleavable surface binding compound of the Formula I and Formula II: ##STR00001##
wherein the variables EG, EG1, SP1, SP2, SP3, Ar and BG are as defined herein. In another embodiment, the application discloses a method for forming a coating on a surface of a substrate using the surface binding compound.