A Truly Esthetic Zirconia for Implant Restorations

Dr. Jeffrey Briney has been restoring implants through the CEREC digital workflow for more than 15 years in his Dana Point, CA, practice. He was satisfied with the results from his go-to lithium disilicate and hybrid ceramic blocks, but he also longed for a stronger, multilayer material that could offer the lifelike esthetics his patients demanded.

He found it in the newest member of Kuraray Noritake’s KATANA Zirconia ONE family, KATANA Zirconia ONE For IMPLANT, which is designed for milling chairside implant restorations. The multilayer block pairs with the CEREC workflow and lets clinicians mill either a hybrid abutment crown or a hybrid abutment from a single block. It has 4 layers of zirconia in gradated shades and an integrated access hole for connecting to a Ti-Base.

“I never thought a single material would completely change the way I restore implants,” Dr. Briney said, “but KATANA Zirconia ONE For IMPLANT completely did.”

Brawn and Beauty

His previous blocks gave Dr. Briney what he called “good to great results” in esthetics, accuracy, polishing, and margin quality, but KATANA Zirconia ONE For IMPLANT took those results "to a completely new level,” he said.

"I had always wanted the strength of zirconia but I needed the cosmetics to match. Using my dental microscope, I inspected the margins of my implant restorations, and they were flawless. The finish and polish were also superior." He cemented the implant restorations with Kuraray Noritake Dental's PANAVIA SA Cement Universal and plans to switch his cementation workflow to the material as well.

Five Cases, Zero Adjustments

Dr. Briney tested 5 KATANA Zirconia ONE For IMPLANT blocks. The first 2 were lower posterior molars, both screw-retained hybrid crowns on Ti-Base abutments. Neither needed adjustment. At their 1-month post-ops, both patients said the restorations felt as natural as real teeth, and that they had actually forgotten they were implants.

The other 3 were anterior cases. “I must admit that I was nervous using this new material in my office for an anterior cosmetic case,” he said. All 3 met his expectations and, more importantly, his patients’ expectations. Each was completed with minimal polishing and zero adjustments, and each showed superior gingival adaptation and response 30 days later.

Beyond Implant Restorations

Dr. Briney’s enthusiasm extends to the rest of the KATANA Zirconia ONE line. He mills about 20 restorations a week. About half are now KATANA Zirconia ONE, covering both implant crowns and tooth crowns, and the rest are lithium disilicate. He has started replacing some of those non-zirconia cases with KATANA Zirconia ONE SPEED, which can be sintered in the CEREC SpeedFire furnace in just 8 minutes using the oven's pre-heating function.

“I never thought in my career that I would love—let alone like—the cosmetics of a zirconia crown, no matter who the manufacturer was,” he said. “KATANA Zirconia ONE proved me wrong.”

His patients love the results, too. “Now, I can feel certain about the overall integrity and strength of a material combined with an exceptional cosmetic result,” he said. “KATANA Zirconia ONE For IMPLANT gives me confidence knowing that strength and beauty can finally be achieved in my CEREC digital workflow."