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52 | cerecdoctors.com | quarter 2 | 2013
the success of the cerec system,
and hence that of VITABLOCS feldspar
ceramics, is owed to Professor Werner
Mörmann’s pioneering work, which
began more than 25 years ago. With the
recent introduction of the hybrid mate-
rial VITA ENAMIC, clinicians have a
material that blends the best of both
worlds. Prof. Mörmann discusses his
expectations for its long-term success
and future development of its clinical
applications, including possibilities and
limitations of treatment.
with vita enamic, a hybrid dental
ceramic is available for thefirst
time. is this the newgeneration
of “materials of the future” that
clinicians have beenwaiting for?
The new hybrid ceramic fits into the
spectrum of established materials that
make use of CAD/CAM technology, from
advanced ceramics to polymer blocks.
VITA ENAMIC positions itself in the
middle of that spectrum by fulfilling the
dream of flexible yet aesthetic ceramics.
All available laboratory tests showthat this
material perfectlymeets the requirements
of chairside applications.
The actual aim of this
CEREC development was
to enable dentists to provide
AConversationWith
Dr. WernerMörmann
About the New
Hybrid Ceramic
What is
the Future
of Dental
Ceramics?
p r o f i l e | | | b y S a m e e r P u r i , D . D . S .
Dr. Petra Güg at Freiburg University
Hospital and Prof. Dr. Robert Kelly at the
University of Connecticut.
you tested vita enamic at the
university of zurich from the
outset, and lent constructive
support to the further
development of the material.
which of vita enamic's material
properties stood out the most in
terms of clinical applications?
My research shows that this hybrid
ceramic can be cut faster than othermono-
lithic restoration ceramics. And also faster
than composites, whether using the fast
or normal setting of the CEREC MC XL
device, and with high shape accuracy. In
addition, the polymer network guarantees
shatter-resistant contour grinding of the
thin tapering edges of dental restorations.
The use of hybrid ceramic allows for the
achievement of a longer service life of the
diamond grinder than any other material.
This significantly increases the efficiency
andprofitability of theCAD/CAMmethod,
which is important in practice. Addition-
ally, in the clinical setting, the material
distinguishes itself by its easy workability
and polishability. These properties corre-
spond perfectly to the concept of an effi-
cient chairside CAD/CAMtreatment.
the patients with ceramic restorations as
quickly and easily as possible. Could we
expect a ceramic with a level of flexibility
adapted to hard tooth tissue? The pioneer
of this esthetic hybrid ceramic is theAmer-
ican dentist Dr. Russell A. Giordano, who
hasbeenresearching it since1996atBoston
University. It took the most painstaking
refinement work at VITA Zahnfabrik to
achieve the highest product quality. I am
excited to see how VITA ENAMIC fares
in clinical settings in the long term. Short-
term clinical experiences have certainly
been excellent, and I expect to be delighted
by the long-term results.
what distinguishes this hybrid
ceramic fromother traditional
concepts of monolithic dental
ceramic materials?
This hybrid ceramic consists of sili-
cate ceramic which is permeated, in a
completely homogeneous and isotropic
manner, with a fine polymer network. To
a certain extent, this polymer network
confers elastic properties to the ceramic,
which are similar to those of dentin
and allows, in the case of full adhe-
sively bonded crowns, a much higher
endurance than is possible with tradi-
tional ceramics. This was demonstrated
by durability tests conducted by Prof.