Zirconia in Restorative Dentistry

Abstract

The need for better mechanical properties in high stress areas in the mouth led to the introduction of zircônia in dentistry. Zirconia is a well known polymorph that exists under three forms: monoclinic (m), tetragonal (t) and cubic (c). The remarkable performance of zirconia, already explored in several medical and engineering applications, is mainly due to the tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation. This work aims to review the literature concerning zirconia for a better understanding of its usefulness in Dentistry and illustrate it with a clinical case.