The invention relates to glass ceramics and glasses with a europium content, containing the following components:

TABLE-US-00001 Component wt.-% SiO.sub.2 30.0 to 75.0 Al.sub.2O.sub.3 10.0 to 45.0 Europium, calculated as Eu.sub.2O.sub.3 0.05 to 5.0

and which are suitable in particular for the production of dental restorations, the fluorescence properties of which largely correspond to those of natural teeth.

Included is a step of exposing a glass blank at a temperature lower than the temperature at which crystals of lithium metasilicate are generated, to an atmosphere at a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature at which crystals of lithium disilicate are generated and lower than the melting point of the crystals of lithium disilicate, to heat the glass blank so that the main crystalline phase of the glass blank is of lithium disilicate.

Provided are methods and compositions relating to a dental composition more specifically to prepare the damaged dentin of the tooth for animals and pets such as canine, feline and members of the taxonomic family Equidae prior to repair. The dental compositions include a bioactive glass and a non-aqueous solvent comprising an alcohol, anti-inflammatory and anti-pain reliever.

Disclosed is a machinable dental bulk block that is a glass ceramic block including an amorphous glass matrix and crystalline phases introduced into the matrix. A major crystalline phase is lithium disilicate and minor crystalline phases are lithium phosphate and at least one of spodumene and virgilite. The dental block is made of a functionally gradient material in which the major crystalline phase exhibits a gradient of particle sizes in a depth direction of the dental block and which has no interface at a point where the gradient of particle sizes of the major crystalline phase changes. The dental bulk block is useful for production of a dental prosthesis (artificial tooth) similar to a natural tooth. The dental bulk block can reduce time and the number of processing steps to manufacture a dental prosthesis and provides improved structural stability through good force distribution obtained by functionally graded mechanical properties.

The invention relates to a process of producing a dental zirconia article, the process comprising the step of sintering a porous dental zirconia article, the sintering comprising a heat-treatment segment A characterized by a heating rate of at least 3 K/sec up to a temperature of at least 1,200° C., the porous dental zirconia article being composed of a zirconia material containing 6.0 to 8.0 wt. % yttria, 0.05 to 0.12 wt. % alumina and comprising a coloring component containing Tb, the porous dental zirconia article being essentially free of Fe components. The invention also relates to a process comprising the additional step of applying a glazing composition to the outer surface of the porous zirconia article before the heat-treatment or sintering is conducted.

The present invention is directed to a process for producing a sintered lithium disilicate glass ceramic dental restoration out of a porous 3-dim article, the process comprising the step of sintering the porous 3-dim article having the shape of a dental restoration with an outer and inner surface to obtain a sintered lithium disilicate ceramic dental restoration, the sintered lithium disilicate glass ceramic dental restoration comprising Si oxide calculated as SiO2 from 55 to 80 wt.-%, Li oxide calculated as Li2O from 7 to 16 wt.-%, Al oxide calculated as Al2O3 from 1 to 5 wt.-%, and P oxide calculated as P2O5 from 1 to 5 wt.-%, wt.-% with respect to the weight of the dental restoration,
the sintering being done under reduced atmospheric pressure conditions, the reduced atmospheric pressure conditions being applied at a temperature above 600° C.

The present invention is also directed to a kit of parts comprising a porous 3-dim article having the shape of a dental milling block and a respective instruction of use.

A glazing material for producing a glazed ceramic body, in which at a first temperature T.sub.1, the glazing material has a viscosity of more than 10.sup.2.5 Pa.Math.s, in particular more than 10.sup.4.0 Pa.Math.s, preferably more than 10.sup.5.6 Pa.Math.s and particularly preferably more than 10.sup.7.0 Pa.Math.s, and, which at a second temperature T.sub.2, which is higher than the first temperature, a viscosity of less than 10.sup.9 Pa.Math.s, in particular less than 10.sup.7 Pa.Math.s and preferably less than 10.sup.5.6 Pa.Math.s. The glazing material can be used for glazing a non-densely sintered substrate material.

A bioactive glass composition comprising titanium homogenously incorporated and distributed throughout the glass and method of making a sol-gel or melt-derived bioactive glass, the bioactive glass increasing osteogenic differentiation and can be used for enamel remineralization in dentistry or bone tissue engineering.

A bioactive glass-ceramic composition as defined herein. Also disclosed are methods of making and using the disclosed compositions.

The present invention relates to a composition for the remineralization of teeth and to the use thereof. The composition comprises calcium phosphate (CaP) glass, and aqueous silica sol.