• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2011

Purpose: As the demand and importance of aesthetic aspects in dental treatment become higher, much attention is paid to materials used for dental prostheses. Thus, the marginal fidelity of most-commonly used alloy, IPS - Empress and ZrO2 ceramic is compared. Methods: The alloy core made by casting, IPS - Empress core made by pressing and ZrO2 ceramic core made by CAD/CAM are used to make 10 samples respectively. For each core, three points were measures and the optical microscope (Axio Imager.Alm,Zeiss co., Oberkochen, Germany) was used to observe the cores with a magnification of 100. Results: As for alloy, IPS - Empress and ZrO2 ceramic, the average and deviation of their marginal distance are $29.91\;{\pm}11.93{\mu}m$ for alloy, $33.45\;{\pm}8.61{\mu}m$ for IPS - Empress, and $31.55\;{\pm}9.85{\mu}m$ for ZrO2. The one-way ANOVA test was conducted to compare them. However, there was no statistically significant difference among them. Conclusion: The study on marginal fidelity of alloy, IPS - Empress, and ZrO2 ceramic shows they have no marginal fidelity problem clinically. Therefore, if a system is selected based on the patient's condition or treatment method, there will be no problem.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.532-537
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• 2003

Statement of the problem : IPS Empress ceramic has been used as one of a esthetic restorative material since it's development, but the broad application of IPS Empress ceramic to clinical prosthodontic field has been limited by its high material cost. Purpose : This study was investigated to evaluate the hardness and fracture toughness after recycling of the IPS Empress ceramic. Material and methods : Reused specimens of IPS Empress were fabricated with repeated pressing. The hardness(Vickers hardness) and fracture toughness of 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressed specimens were measured with Digital Micro Hardness Tester(Model MXT70, Matsuzawa Seiki Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS(Ver 9.5). Result : The mean value of the hardness in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressed Empress were $6.23{\pm}0.48MPa,\;5.50{\pm}0.25MPa$, and $5.70{\pm}0.42MPa$. The hardness of the 1st pressing ceramic was higher than those or the 2nd and 3rd pressed ceramics(P<0.05). Hardness of the 3rd pressed ceramic was greater than that of the 2nd pressed ceramic. but there was no significant difference of hardness between those two(P>0.05). The mean value of the fracture toughness was $1.71{\pm}0.16MPam^{1/2}$ in 1st pressed ceramic, $1.78{\pm}0.10MPam^{1/2}$ in 2nd pressed and $1.73{\pm}0.14MPam^{1/2}$ in 3rd pressed IPS ceramic. Fracture toughness of the 2nd pressed ceramic was the highest and that of the 1st pressed ceramic was the lowest. There was no significant difference of fracture toughness among them(P>0.05). Conclusion : Hardness of the 2nd and 3rd pressed IPS Empress ceramics were lesser than that of 1st pressed IPS Empress ceramic(P<0.05), but there was no significant changes of fracture toughness among them(P>0.05).

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2003

Development of new ceramic and esthetic need of patient increased the use of ceramic restorations. The purpose of this study was to confirm the possibility of recycling for IPS Empress2 which has a lot of advantages in esthetics. 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressed disc-shaped($10{\times}1.5mm$) IPS Empress 2 specimens were made with IPS Empress ingot(shade 200, Ivoclar, Liechtenstein) and pressing furnace(IPS Empress EP 500, Ivoclar, Liechtenstein). Flexure strength was measured with universal testing machine(Zwick 145641, Zwick, Germany), and color change and staining resistance of specimens were evaluated with colorimeter (Model TC-6FX, Tokyo Denshoku Co., Japan). The followings were drawn from this study : 1. Flexure strength of the 1st, the 2nd, and the 3rd pressed specimens showed 236.78 MPa. 247.16MPa, and 220.72MPa, respectively. Flexure strength of the 2nd pressed specimens was higher than others, but there's no statistical difference between them. 2. The color difference between the 1st and the 2nd pressed specimens was 3.25, and that between the 1st and the 3rd pressed specimens was 3.63(P<0.05). 3. The color change after staining of the 1st, the 2nd. and the 3rd pressed specimens were 1.43, 2.64, and 1.45, respectively. In this study, reused IPS Empress 2 specimens showed insignificant change of flexure strength and stain resistance, but they showed some color change according to reuse. From this results, the limited possibility of reuse for IPS Empress 2 could be considered.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.596-605
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• 2003

Statement of problem : IPS Empress2 system was developed and used in prosthodontic treatment, but the cost of ingot is expensive for wide application. Purpose : This study was to investigate the possibility on recycling of IPS Empress 2 ceramic for wide application of IPS Empress 2 ceramic in prosthodontic treatment. Material and Method : 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressed disc-shaped($10{\times}1.5mm$) IPS Empress 2 specimens were made with IPS Empress ingot(200, Ivoclar, Liechtenstein) and pressing furnace(IPS Empress EP 500, Ivoclar, Liechtenstein). Vicker's surface hardness and fracture toughness, acid resistance, and pressing accuracy of IPS Empress 2 ceramic were measured and analyzed. Surface hardness was measured by microhardness tester(MTX 70. Matsuzawa, Japan), before and after surface treatment with 0.5% hydrofluoric acid and carbonic acid(Coca cola) for evaluation of acid resistance. Results : The surface hardness of 1st pressed specimen was the higher(5.11 GPa) than those of 2nd pressed(4.89 GPa) and 3rd pressed specimen(4.86 GPa), and the fracture toughness of 1st pressed ($1.58MPam^{1/2}$) and 2nd pressed specimen($1.51MPam^{1/2}$) were higher than that of 3rd pressed specimen($1.39MPam^{1/2}$). The changes of surface hardness of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pressed specimens after treatment with fluoric acid were 0.17, 0.06, 0.05 (GPa) respectively, and those of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pressed specimens after treatment with carbonic acid were 0.07, 0.00, 0.05(MPa) respectively. The pressing accuracy of 1st,2nd and 3rd specimen were 77.22%, 85.681%, and 75.05%. The pressing accuracy of 2nd pressed specimen was higher than that of the 3rd specimen. Conclusion : The changes of physical properties according to recycling of IPS Empress 2 from this study were insignificant. Therefore the possibility of recycling of IPS Empress 2 can be suggested from the results.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.599-610
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• 2001

Due to an increasing interest in esthetics and concerns about toxic and allergic reactions to certain alloys, patients and dentists have been looking for metal-free tooth-colored restorations. Recent improvement in technology of new all-ceramic materials and composite materials has broadened the options for esthetic single crown restorations. The aim of this investigation was to study the fracture strength of the metal-free posterior single crowns fabricated using two recently introduced systems, Empress 2 ceramic and Targis-Vectris. Forty premolar-shaped stainless steel dies with the 1mm-wide circumferential shoulder were prepared. Ten cylindrical crowns having a diameter of 8.0mm and total height of 7.5mm were fabricated for each crown system respectively(PFM, Empress staining technique, Empress 2 layering technique, and Targis- Vectris). The crowns were filled with cement and placed on the stainless steel dies with firm finger pressure. The crowns were then stored in distilled water at room temperature for 24 hours before testing. The crowns were tested for fracture strength in an Instron universal testing machine (Instron 6022). With a crosshead speed of 1mm/min the center of the occlusal surface of the crown was loaded using a 4-mm-diameter stainless steel ball until fracture occurred. The fracture surfaces of the crowns were gold coated and examined using scanning electron microscopy(Jeol JSM-840 Joel Ltd., Akishima, Tokyo, Japan). Within the parameters of this study the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The mean fracture strength for PFM crowns was 5829(${\pm}906$)N; for Empress staining technique the fracture strength was 1697(${\pm}604$)N; for Empress 2 Layering technique the fracture strength was 1781N(${\pm}400$)N, and the fracture strength for Targis- Vectris was 3093(${\pm}475$)N. 2. The fracture strength of the PFM crowns was significantly higher than that of the Empress 2 and the Targis-Vectris crowns (P<0.05). 3. The fracture strength of the Targis-Vectris crowns was significantly higher than that of the Empress 2 crowns (P<0.05). 4. No statistical difference was found when Empress staining technique was compared with Empress 2 layering technique. 5. The SEM image of fracture surface of Empress 2 crown showed a very dense microstructure of the lithium disilicate crystals and the SEM image of fracture surface of Targis-Vectris crown showed indentations of Vectris and some fibers tom off from Vectris.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the wear characteristics of human enamel opposing 2 heat-pressed ceramics (e.max Press and Empress Esthetic), conventional feldspathic porcelain (Ceramco 3) and type III gold alloy. Material and methods: Intact cusps of extracted premolars were used for enamel specimens. Five disk samples were made for each of two heat-pressed ceramics groups, conventional feldspathic porcelain group and type III gold alloy group. Wear tests were conducted in distilled water using a pin-on-disk tribometer. The amount of enamel wear was determined by weighing the enamel specimens before and after wear tests, and the weight was converted to volumes by average density. The wear tracks were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and surface profilometer to elucidate the wear characteristics. Results: 1. Ceramco 3 led to the greatest amount of enamel wear followed by Empress Esthetic, e.max Press and type III gold alloy. However, there was no significant difference between Ceramco 3 and Empress Esthetic (P>.05), and there were also no significant differences among Empress Esthetic, e.max Press and type III gold alloy (P>.05). 2. The average surface roughness of e.max Press after wear test was smallest followed by Empress Esthetic and Ceramco 3, but there was no significant difference between Empress Esthetic and Ceramco 3 (P>.05). 3. There were no significant differences among the depth of wear tracks of all the groups (P>.05). The group that showed the largest width of wear track was Ceramco 3 followed by Empress Esthetic, e.max Press and type III gold alloy. However, there was no significant difference between e.max Press and Empress Esthetic (P>.05), and there was also no significant difference between Empress Esthetic and Ceramco 3 (P>.05). Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, heat-pressed ceramics were not more abrasive than conventional feldspathic porcelain.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.197-207
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• 2001

Development of new ceramics and esthetic needs of patients increase the use of all ceramic restorations. Fractured teeth often need metal post and core as foundation for final restoration. When all ceramic restorations are planned, metal post and core may lead to compromised esthetics because of opacity and gray color of metal post and core. Many techniques have been proposed to solve this problem such as application of an opaque porcelain to the metal core or all ceramic post and core. This study was performed to evaluate effect on color of Empress 2 crown according to various post systems. Color was evaluated by the CIE $L^*a^*b^*$ systems and measured by spectrophotometer (Model CM-3500, Minolta, Japan). Specimens were divided into 4 groups as follows Group 1 : gold cast post specimen + Empress 2 crown specimen Group 2 : application of an opaque porcelain to gold cast post specimen + Empress 2 crown specimen Group 3 : cosmopost specimen + Empress 2 crown specimen Group 4 : In-ceram post specimen + Empress 2 crown specimen. The results obtained as follows, 1. $L^*$ Values showed that group 2, 3, 4 were higher than group 1 with significant difference and group 2, 3, 4 were not significantly different. 2. $a^*$ Values and $b^*$ values also showed that group 2. 3, 4 were higher than group 1 with significant difference and group 2, 3, 4 were not significantly different. 3. ${\Delta}E^* ab$ Values showed that ${\Delta}E^* ab$ 3 was the highest value and ${\Delta}E^* ab$ 5 was the lowest value.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.611-633
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• 1995

The pupose of this study was to compare the fracture strength of five kinds of all-ceramic crowns(Vintage, Dicor Empress-staining, Empress-layering, In-Ceram) luted with glass ionomer cerment and composite resin cement and to evaluate the effect of cements on the fracture stregth of all ceramic crowns. Five groups of twelve uniform sized all-ceramic crown specimens were fabricated. Six specimens of each group were cemented with glass ionomer cement(Fuji G.I. Cement) and the remaining six specimens of each group were etched, silane-treated, and cemented with composite resin cement(Bistite resin cement). The crowns were stored in water$(37^{\circ}C)$ for 1 day prior to loading in an Instron, using a steel ball(diameter 4mm) at a crosshead speed of 0.5mm/min. The crowns were angled $30^{\circ}$, so the steel ball contacted with the crowns 2mm lingual from the mid-incisal edge. The results obtained were summarized as follows ; 1. With G.I. cement, mean fracture load(Kg) Were : Intage : $18.33{\pm}1.47$ ; Empress-staining : $23.92{\pm}6.67$ ; Dicor : $24.0{\pm}5.81$ ; Empress-layering : $26.92{\pm}2.80$ ; In-Ceram : $51.58{\pm}6.87$ ; ANOVA revealed a significant difference existed(p<0.05) between the group A(Vintage, Dicor, Empress-staining, Empress-layering) and group B(In-Ceram). 2. With Resin cement, mean fracture load(Kg) were : Intage : $22.75{\pm}4.97$ ; Dicor : $42.75{\pm}7.07$ ; Empress-staining : $44.08{\pm}7.99$ ; Empresslayering : $50.42{\pm}5.43$ ; In-Ceram : $52.58{\pm}6.51$ ; ANOVA revealed a significatnt difference existed(p<0.05) between the group A(Vintage) and B(Dicor, Empress-staining Empress-alyering, In-Ceram). 3. Resin cement significantly increased the fracture strength of the all-ceramic crowns for Dicor(156%), Empress-staining(185%), Empress-alyering(187%)(p<0.05); but did not increase the fracture strength of Vintage(128%) and In-Ceram(101%)(p>0.05). 4. Majority of the all-ceramic crowns show a wedge fracture extending through proximal surfaces to an apex, usually apical third(with G.I. cement) or middle third(with Resin cement) of the facial surface.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.269-281
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• 2007

Fluoric acid etching is an essential procedure in cementation of reinforced ceramics to tooth surface. But there have been few studies about the changes of surface structure and flexural strength of IPS $Empress^{(R)}$ 2 ceramic according to the etching time. The objectives of this study were to examine the surface structure changes and the difference in biaxial flexural strength of IPS $Empress^{(R)}$ 2 ceramic according to various etching times. Sixty one disk-shaped specimens of IPS $Empress^{(R)}$ 2 ceramic($14mm{\times}1.2mm$) were fabricated for the biaxial flexural strength test and SEM analysis according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Sixty specimens were divided into 6 groups(n=10) according to the time of HF acid etching(0, 20, 180 and 300s)and silane/resin cement application. Each disk was loaded using a piston-on-3 ball biaxial configuration in a universal testing machine. The failure loads(N) were recorded, and the biaxial flexural strength for each disk was calculated. A one-way analysis of variance and independent t-test on transformed fracture strength data were used to determine significant differences between groups. The groups of no cementation showed a trend toward progressive weakening with increasing the etching time. However, this was not statistically significant at p=0.05 level. The groups of resin cementation exhibited no apparent trend in their mean strength values. SEM photomicrographs showed very different results of etching. Within the conditions of this study, alteration of surface topography by acid etching does not have a deleterious effect on the biaxial flexural strength of IPS $Empress^{(R)}$ 2 ceramic.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.446-460
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• 2000

All-ceramic restorations have had a more limited life expectancy than metal ceramic crowns be-cause of their lower strength. The relatively lower strength has limited the use of all-ceramic crowns to the areas where occlusal loads are lower Therefore many researches have been done to increase the strength of all-ceramic crowns. IPS Empress 2 is a new type of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic with enhanced physical characteristics which has been in use clinically since 1998. Previous researches reported that the flexural strength of all-ceramic material was greater than 300 MPa, and all-ceramic crowns can be used in staining or layering technique. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the thickness of IPS Empress 2 ceramic on fracture strength. Both staining technique and layering technique was investigated. Vita VMK was used as control. For all three groups, five specimens each of 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.4mm, 1.8mm, and 2.2mm thick-ness (a total of 75 specimens) were prepared. Control group : Vita VMK Porcelain specimens were prepared with dentine ceramic and liquid glazing was done. Group I : IPS Empress 2 were prepared with staining technique and stained twice and glazed once. Group II : IPS Empress 2 were prepared with layering technique and glazed after wash firing. The thickness and diameter of the specimen were measured and controlled after specimen preparation. Biaxial Flexure Test (ASTM Standard F394-78) was adopted as this test method produces results least affected by the edge condition of the specimens. Fracture strength was measured with Instron Universal Testing Machine. Conclusions are as follow : 1. The fracture strength was increase in order of control group, test group I, test group II. 2. Fracture strength of the group I (Empress 2 Staining) was 65.54 N in 0.8mm, 155.2 N in 1.0mm, 233.5 N in 1.4mm, 434.5 N in 1.8mm, and 600.1 N in 2.2mm. 3. Fracture strength of the group II (Empress 2 Layering) was 190.0 N in 0.8mm, 283.5 N in 1.0mm. 437.2 N in 1.4mm, 732.0 N in 1.8mm, and 1115.0 N in 2.2mm. 4. No statistical difference was found in flexural strengths according to thickness in a specified group(p>0.05).