Back in the days when I was utilizing a dental laboratory routinely, I would always request that my lab technician provide me with the exact name of the layering ceramic he used for the case. I would then record the details in the patient’s chart so that if we ever needed to match a new crown, I would have the “recipe”.

Today we CEREC dentists are the lab and ultimately responsible for the outcome. There are a lot of new blocks hitting the market. Lithium disilicates, feldspathics, zirconium-reinforced lithium silicates, resin-infused hybrids, leucite-reinforced, composite… The materials list is growing and getting more and more confusing. The materials don’t all look alike. A2 in one block may look completely different than A2 in another.  Factors beyond hue, value and chroma will affect the appearance of the final restoration. Translucency, fluorescence, opalescence, stump shade, and cements all contribute.

In this case we have 3 crowns that are all shade A2.  Know your materials!