Mike Skramstad I have had mixed feelings about the Katana (especially vs e.max cad) since using it. On one hand, the Katana STML looks and fits fantastic. On the other hand, you can expect it to take a good 20-25 min longer than a typical e.max (if glazed) and a little less if polished. I have gone back and forth if the time is worth it. After using it for awhile, I found myself starting to go back to e.max CAD due to the time. After a little more thought and clinical results, I have decided that in a lot of cases, it's worth the extra time. The stuff just looks and fits fantastic...AND there is better detail.
That being said, the other question is should you glaze or polish. I have done both and they both work out nicely, but I have realized that you have to be a bit careful about shade when deciding how you want to finish it.
As a general rule of thumb... polishing zirconia tends to produce a pearl effect, but it ALSO will lower the value. For that reason, I would tend to choose a shade that matches the shade you are trying to achieve (when polishing). As you can see in the slide below, the company recommends one shade brighter when polishing due to the decrease in value... but that might be overkill.
If you are glazing, It will increase the value and make it brighter. In that case, I would choose a shade one to maybe even two shades darker than your target shade.
Here is a case that illlustrates that. Both were done in A3 Katana STML. Tooth #13 was polished and tooth #14 was glazed. Both were clinically great... but notice the lower value of tooth #13 that was polished.
I hope this helps
