5–7,11–13 Hardness is one of the most frequently measured properties of a ceramic. Its value helps to characterize resistance to deformation, densification, Selleck Sotrastaurin and fracture.14 One of the main concerns over the use of porcelains is their abrasive potential or wear of the opposing tooth structure. Two major determinants of enamel wear are surface finish and microstructure.15,29 Layering high-strength ceramics in a restoration provides improved esthetics but affects the overall performance of a restoration, as each ceramic has different

chemical and physical properties and a different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). As all-ceramic technology is relatively young, less development has taken place regarding veneering materials for these ceramic coping systems. Thus some early core/porcelain systems were even less esthetic than what was available at

the time in metal–ceramic technologies, and many problems with those materials have only been dealt with recently. Problems include poor color stability, abrasiveness, devitrification Alectinib with multiple firings, and poor core/veneer bonding. In-Ceram is an all-ceramic system consisting of a high-volume fraction alumina core material veneered with feldspathic porcelain.5–7 Three veneering materials have been developed for In-Ceram cores, and no authors have compared them. This study was designed to evaluate three core/veneer combinations in terms of bond strength, microhardness, and interface quality, as the veneering material can greatly influence the longevity, wear, medchemexpress and esthetics of all-ceramic systems. A stainless steel die was machined to approximate dimensions for a prepared molar (6 mm high, 9 mm diameter). The die had a standard recommended preparation for an all-ceramic crown, including an 8° occlusal convergence and a rounded 90° shoulder of 1 mm width to accommodate an In-Ceram crown. The materials used in this study were In-Ceram core

material with its three veneering materials: Vitadur N, Vitadur Alpha, and the recently developed VM7 powder (Vita Zahnfabrik Bad Sackingen, Germany). A total of 15 In-Ceram cores were constructed for this study. These cores were divided into three groups of five. The specimens of each group were layered with one veneering ceramic disc (2-mm thick, 2 mm diameter): Vitadur N, Vitadur Alpha, or VM7 for shear bond and microhardness testing. The stainless steel die was duplicated 15 times in special plaster (Vita Zahnfabrik) using a special tray and addition silicon impression material (Imprint II, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany). A split counter die was designed to allow the production of a wax coping of 0.7 mm thickness for standardization of the core dimensions. The wax coping was invested and cast to produce a metal coping of standard dimension.