429 Too Many Requests

The inventor of the original zirconia multi-layer technology, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc., has just introduced its latest development in the evolution of dental zirconia – KATANA™ Zirconia YML (yttria multi-layered). At the KATANA™ Zirconia YML Virtual Kick-Off Symposium on July 3, 2021, four world-renowned experts reported on their first-hand experience with this highly versatile material that complements the existing KATANA™ Zirconia Multi Layered Series very well.

The chairman of the event, Prof. Dr. Florian Beuer MME (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Fig. 1), represented the perspective of scientific researcher and clinician. MDT Daniele Rondoni, MDT Roberto Rossi (Savona, Italy) and MDT Nondas Vlachopoulos (Athens, Greece) shared their impressions obtained from processing KATANA™ Zirconia YML in the laboratory setting and focused on possible indications and finishing methods.

Fig. 1 Prof. Dr. Florian Beuer MME.

Scientific facts about YML

Following the welcome speech of Kazumitsu Nakatsuka (Head of BU Medical, Kuraray Europe GmbH, Fig. 2), Prof. Dr. Beuer started a journey through the evolution of dental zirconia. He described the different steps taken to transform an opaque, white framework material into a translucent, tooth-coloured material with a multi-layered structure suitable for monolithic restorations. In this context, he explained that KATANA™ Zirconia YML is a fifth-generation dental zirconia featuring colour, translucency and flexural strength gradation. High strength in the lower (body) part of the blank makes the zirconia well-suited even for long-span bridges, while the high translucency in the upper part facilitates natural aesthetics (Fig. 3). As a result, the material is recommended for virtually every indication (Fig. 4).

Fig. 2 Kazumitsu Nakatsuka, Head of BU Medical, Kuraray Europe GmbH.

Fig. 3 Multi-layered structure of KATANA™ Zirconia YML.

Fig. 4 Overview of the KATANA™ Zirconia portfolio and the recommended indications: KATANA™ Zirconia YML is the only material that is suitable for all indications from single tooth restorations to long-span bridges.

In order to leverage the desired properties such as high translucency for an anterior crowns or high strength for a long-span bridges, the restoration simply needs to be positioned in the correct part of the blank. The design flexibility of KATANA™ Zirconia YML is high and restrictions are few: the connectors of bridges with more than three units simply need to be positioned in the lower half of the blank for sufficient strength.

Additional benefits of the new material are a controlled firing deformation and high accuracy of the manufacturing process leading to a precise fit, the option of fast processing with a sintering time of just 54 minutes for short-span restorations and aesthetics comparable to glass-ceramic materials. After sharing these facts, some scientific data and clinical pictures, Prof. Dr. Beuer confessed that zirconia is his favourite material: it is forgiving, allows for minimally invasive restoration procedures and is suitable for virtually every indication. He usually opts for veneered zirconia in the anterior and monolithic zirconia in the posterior area. Like with every innovative dental material, he is looking forward to seeing more clinical data being shared with the community in the forthcoming years.

(Ultra) micro layering: Aesthetics easily achieved

MDTs Daniele Rondoni and Roberto Rossi focused on easy-to-achieve aesthetics with KATANA™ Zirconia YML. They presented different clinical cases to demonstrate how they obtain beautiful outcomes with a monolithic design (zero cutback), a small vestibular cutback or a micro cutback, and appropriate stains and porcelains from the CERABIEN™ ZR series (Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc.). Restorations with a monolithic design are typically individualized with internal stains and the liquid feldspathic ceramic material CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain (Figs. 5 and 6) or FC Paste Stain only (Fig. 7), a procedure that was demonstrated in a hands-on session. FC Paste Stain allows for application in ultra-thin layers and yet, it creates desired 3D effect. When opting for a (vestibular) micro cutback, microlayering with internal stains and a single luster porcelain (LT1) completed in a single bake may be the solution. All techniques are easily implemented and possible only thanks to the high aesthetic potential of the base material (KATANA™ Zirconia YML), which reduces the manual processing effort and time without compromising quality and aesthetics.

Fig. 5 Recipe for the use of CERABIEN™ ZR Internal Stain …

Fig. 6 … in combination with CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain Clear glaze on a monolithic surface (presented by Daniele Rondoni and Roberto Rossi).

Fig. 7 Example of a Toronto bridge made of KATANA™ Zirconia YML A2, finished in the gum areas with CERABIEN™ ZR Tissue Kit and on the teeth with CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain (presented by Daniele Rondoni and Roberto Rossi).

When starting to work with a new zirconia, the speakers recommend to analyse its optical properties in different light conditions, compare it with other materials and use a spectrophotometer discover its specific optical behaviour. What the speakers like most about KATANA™ Zirconia YML is the fact that all indications are covered with a single material.

Combining different finishing techniques: High-end aesthetics

According to Nondas Vlachopoulos, KATANA™ Zirconia YML is a great solution that combines the strength of second-generation zirconia like KATANA™ Zirconia HTML and the very high translucency usually found only in materials with reduced strength like KATANA™ Zirconia STML. The speaker showed several clinical case examples from complex implant-based restorations to crowns on teeth and implants, which were all solved with the new material (Figs. 8 and 9). He usually applies monolithic zirconia individualized with CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain in the posterior area, while on the six anterior teeth, he opts for complex porcelain layering techniques leading to the exceptionally aesthetic results that have made him famous.

Fig. 8 Wear case solved with monolithic KATANA™ Zirconia YML restorations in the posterior and layered restorations in the anterior area (presented by Nondas Vlachopoulos).

Fig. 9 Maxillary left central incisor restored with a layered crown with a KATANA™ Zirconia YML coping on an implant (presented by Nondas Vlachopoulos).

Highly versatile material

In the discussion following the presentations (Fig. 10), two experts from Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. – Mathias Fernandez Y Lombardi and Antonio Corradi – stressed that the high processing quality of KATANA^™ Zirconia YML is due to the end-to-end in-house production process, ensuring that the company has control over every detail. The speakers agreed that the new product leads to numerous benefits for dental technicians and clinicians, as it allows for standardized procedures, a reduced inventory and simply produces beautiful outcomes with the preferred technique.

Fig. 10 Discussion with the experts in the studio and online.

Watching the renowned experts, their presentations and the final discussion, it became clear to the participants that KATANA™ Zirconia YML is a true all-in-one solution suitable for virtually all types of restorations and finishing techniques. With its well-aligned composition and smooth transition from one layer to the next, it is a great choice for everyone striving for aesthetic and reliable outcomes. More information about KATANA™ Zirconia YML is available at our website.

If you would like to watch back the event recordings click here.

Interview with Mathias Fernandez Y Lombardi, EU Scientific Manager, Kuraray Europe GmbH

Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. reinvented its original zirconia multi-layer technology by integrating newly developed raw materials with different yttria content into the proven multi-layer colour structure. The material that is based on this innovative technology, KATANA™ Zirconia YML, offers a well-balanced flexural strength, chroma and translucency gradation throughout the blank.

According to pilot users of the new zirconia discs, the greatest benefit of using KATANA™ Zirconia YML is in the true empowerment of the laboratory. We asked Kuraray Noritake’s EU Scientific Manager Dental Ceramics & CAD/CAM Materials, Mathias Fernandez Lombardi, to explain how the new material is able to positively affect work routines in the dental laboratory.

The greatest benefit of using KATANA™ Zirconia YML is in the true empowerment of the laboratory.

Mathias Fernandez Lombardi, who should consider working with KATANA™ Zirconia YML?

KATANA™ Zirconia YML is designed for laboratories and milling centres with a strong focus on simplification. With its strong body and highly translucent enamel layer, it offers exactly the properties required for an unlimited indication range. Being perfectly suited for the production of durable monolithic long-span posterior bridges and of highly aesthetic anterior crowns or partial restorations, KATANA™ Zirconia YML is a true all-rounder that eliminates the need for another zirconia or even ceramic CAD/CAM material. At the same time, it supports highly automated production procedures and requires minimal hand work.

What are the benefits of using a single material for every indication?

Several benefits are related to the use of a single, all-round material. It leads to a reduced number of blanks to be stored, which simplifies inventory management and minimizes the storage space needed. Moreover, it facilitates standardization of laboratory workflows. Using the same material every time means that there are no differences in the basic design and milling parameters like minimum wall thicknesses and connector strengths, in the sintering protocols and finishing options to be taken into account. Hence, errors are less likely to occur and routines are easily established. Finally, the risk of cross-contamination is eliminated when a single material is processed with the available equipment (milling machine, milling and finishing tools, and sintering furnace). Predictable outcomes and flawless aesthetics are usually the result.

What are the benefits related to the use of KATANA™ Zirconia YML as the only ceramic CAD/CAM material?

I guess that the most important argument is that aesthetic outcomes are easily and efficiently achieved with KATANA™ Zirconia YML for all kinds of restorations, even for long-span bridges. It is usually sufficient to produce monolithic restorations for the posterior region, which are just polished or glazed. Anterior restorations may be designed monolithically or with minimal cut-back, and the user may choose between CERABIEN™ ZR (CZR) FC Paste Stains and CZR Internal Stains plus glaze to obtain a natural look. Another benefit of KATANA™ Zirconia YML is its seamless multi-layer structure combined with an extraordinary blank quality.

Why is this seamless structure and high blank quality important for users?

The seamless multi-layer structure, that is a smooth transition from one layer to the next, is the precondition for structural integrity and flawless aesthetics. It ensures that the material is free of transition lines, offers accurate dimensions after sintering (due to uniform shrinkage) and shows a reliable long-term performance not compromised by internal tensions. In KATANA™ Zirconia YML, a completely homogeneous composition, with carefully aligned CTE-values and shrinkage ratios in all parts of the blank, is responsible for this benefit.

Aesthetic outcomes are easily and efficiently achieved with KATANA™ Zirconia YML for all kinds of restorations, even for long-span bridges.

For its development, Kuraray Noritake Dental leveraged its long-standing expertise in dental ceramics and the advantages of an end-to-end in-house blank production process, without which it would have been impossible to reach the requested quality level. Due to the fact that the material is so well aligned, it was even possible to develop a 54-minute sintering programme that produces equally good results as the proven 90-minute or 7-hour programmes and becomes the go-to option for all rush cases. With this feature, KATANA™ Zirconia YML becomes the “jack of all trades” material: It offers highest comfort and security like an SUV, but when it comes to speed, it is in no way inferior to a sports car.

The above sintering recommendations represent only a guideline; depending on each individual furnace and condition, some adjustments might be necessary. If the 54 or 90-minute sintering program is not programmable in your furnace, it is not possible to set the furnace according to one of these schedules. *The material is removed from the furnace at 8000C. A furnace with a configurable YML sintering program is required.

Users who have already tested ceramic materials with a strength gradient know that positioning of long-span restorations in the blank can be tricky. What are the rules to be respected when positioning a long-span bridge in a YML blank?

Positioning of restorations in KATANA™ Zirconia YML discs is extraordinarily easy. The reason is that the gap between the lowest flexural strength found in the enamel area and the highest flexural strength found in the lowest body layer is comparatively small. Moreover, the Body Layer 1 that is found adjacent to the enamel layer already offers a flexural strength that is higher than the 800 MPa requested for bridges with four or more units. Consequently, users are on the safe side whenever they place their long-span restorations in the middle of the blank. More specifically, half of the connector cross section needs to be in the lower half of the disc, which is quite different from other materials with strength gradation that allow for connector positioning in the body area only. KATANA™ Zirconia YML restorations with a maximum of three units may be positioned in any layer. In this context, the fact that the thickness of each layer increases proportionally with the height of the disc comes as a benefit: The enamel layer is large enough to exploit its aesthetic potential in single-unit or small bridge cases.

Positioning of long-span restorations in the middle of the disc.

What would you recommend dental technicians who would like to empower their laboratory or milling centre?

I can truly recommend testing KATANA™ Zirconia YML in the laboratory environment to see how it handles and to assess its potential. The exceptional blank quality and seamless integration of the different layers, the ease of positioning and processing efficiency are factors potential users need to experience in real life to understand what they mean for their daily work. Similarly, the aesthetic outcomes need to be assessed in the clinical environment for an authentic impression of the natural look and feel obtained. I am sure that KATANA™ Zirconia YML will be able to convince virtually everyone who wants to empower the laboratory with an easy-to-use, efficient universal zirconia solution that fits virtually every patient’s and every dentist’s needs! Kuraray Noritake Dental knows that dental technicians and practitioners are in need of products that support their striving for simplification, standardization and increased efficiency so urgently needed in present times. Therefore, our product innovations are all focused on delivering more performance with less effort. KATANA™ Zirconia YML is the latest addition to a whole series of materials pursuing this goal.

Minimum connector cross-sections are to be respected during the computer-aided design of KATANA™ Zirconia YML restorations.

Mathias Fernandez Y Lombardi

EU Scientific Manager
Dental Ceramics & CAD/CAM Materials
Kuraray Europe GmbH

2013
Successful completion of an apprenticeship as a dental technician at Seuthe dental laboratory in Plettenberg, Germany

2018
Successful completion of dental technology studies at the University of Osnabrück, Germany. Graduation as an engineer in dental technology

Since March 2018
Employee of Kuraray Europe GmbH

The KATANA™ Zirconia family of multi-layered CAD/CAM blanks has a new member: KATANA™ Zirconia YML (yttria multi-layered). Based on Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. (KND) proprietary multi-layer technology, this new material offers multiple layers with different levels of chroma and translucency PLUS different concentrations of yttria in a single blank. We talked to two experts from Kuraray Noritake Dental’s Research & Development Department in Japan, Atsushi Matsumoto and Yuta Tajima, about the new product and its specific features.

Mr. Matsumoto, Mr. Tajima, KND already offers a broad range of zirconia materials covering virtually every indication. Why did you decide to start developing yet another dental zirconia?

The KATANA™ Zirconia series has indeed received high praise and great feedback from the market. Users particularly appreciate the remarkably high strength of HTML, the well-balanced aesthetic and strength properties of STML, and also the high translucency of UTML. Although there has been a large increase of zirconia materials in the dental market recently, we have received many requests from our customers for a more universal material that offers the excellent properties of all variants of KATANA™ Zirconia in one product. This product should allow them to fabricate all kinds of restorations from a single disc, from single crowns to full bridges, while maintaining high aesthetic and mechanical properties for both anterior and posterior restorations. As the developer of the KATANA™ Zirconia series, the invention of KATANA™ Zirconia YML is our response to these desires expressed by our customers.

What is the main difference between KATANA™ Zirconia YML and the other available products of the KATANA™ Zirconia Multi-Layered Series?

All layers of KATANA™ Zirconia UTML, STML and HTML are produced from the same basic powder composition and therefore offer the same strength throughout the whole blank. Depending on the case specific requirements, users need to select the most suitable type of material, either a high-strength zirconia or a highly translucent variant. KATANA™ Zirconia YML is an all-in-one zirconia suitable for all cases: It consists of a high-translucency enamel layer, an intermediate layer offering well-balanced strength, translucency and colour, and a high-strength body layer. The raw materials used for this product are developed and produced by KND exclusively for YML. This is another milestone in advanced product development KATANA™ Zirconia.

We have received many requests from our customers
for a more universal material.

In general, the currently available zirconia materials with an integrated strength gradient do not have a very positive image in the eyes of many dental technicians and specialists, due to the fact that in the incisal area, the materials seem to be insufficiently strengthened. This can lead to fractures when it comes to long-span restorations, especially if they are inadequately positioned within the blank. How carefully did KND focus on these problems and how did they try to solve them in order to stand out from the competition?

The current yttria-based multi-layer products on the market are facing complicated limitations in connector position in large cases, such as full-arch restorations, due to the lack of an ideal combination of aesthetics and strength. To overcome this challenge, KND developed well-balanced raw materials of high strength and high aesthetics, and by including these raw materials in the intermediate layer between the enamel and body layers. The result is that even for long-span restorations, it is very simple to position the connectors thanks to its excellent balance between high strength and high aesthetic properties. Due to these unique attributes incorporated in our new product, the risk of deformation and breakage is avoided.

Another problem is the often clearly visible line between the different layers containing different amounts of yttrium oxide, which can be seen at a more detailed inspection after sintering. How did you address this issue?

At KND, we achieved both, adequate translucency gradation and invisible transition lines, even for zirconia layers with different yttria content. This has been accomplished thanks to our multi-layer zirconia manufacturing technology refined over many years, which includes mixing the appropriate amount of each layer's boundary to intentionally avoid transition lines. In addition, the newly developed interlayer raw materials and a newly designed sintering schedule were the keys to success.

How is it possible to have a sintering protocol that works for different zirconia components within the KATANA™ Zirconia YML blank and allows for the shortest sintering times ever?

The amount of shrinkage during sintering is determined by different factors such as the number and quantity of additives (yttria, alumina etc.) it contains. If the shrinkage ratio of each layer is different, transition lines are likely to appear between the layers, which might produce tensions in the material structure. The newly developed raw material for KATANA™ Zirconia YML enables us to control and unify the shrinkage ratio for all layers, even for raw materials with different yttria contents.

The use of proprietary raw materials produced in-house with excellent properties suitable for high-speed sintering was the main precondition that allowed for the development KND’s high-speed sintering schedule (54 min for restorations up to 3-unit bridges), which is available for all products of the KATANA™ Zirconia multi-layered series. This option improves the efficiency of the dental technician’s work and simplifies the workflow.

Are there any differences in milling and adjusting KATANA™ Zirconia YML compared to competitor products?

All KATANA™ Zirconia products from KND have an appropriate hardness with less chipping during the milling process thanks to the raw materials manufactured and refined in-house. Also, after the sintering procedure, it offers excellent chipping resistance, especially during very challenging marginal adjustments.

Is there anything else that sets KATANA™ Zirconia YML apart from other products with an integrated strength gradient?

Yes, KATANA™ Zirconia YML offers reduced sintering deformation, thanks to in-house developed raw materials, based on proprietary technology to control shrinkage rate. Moreover, we offer a wide range of shades (14), which is another important aspect (apart from the material’s well-balanced aesthetic properties and absence of transition lines) for the creation of lifelike restorations. Finally, since three out of four layers meet the conditions for an ISO class 5 classification, there are few restrictions on the design variation of the prosthesis.

Why should a dental technician consider using KATANA™ Zirconia YML instead of any other dental zirconia (in your opinion)?

Atsushi Matsumoto:

It is now possible for dental technicians to produce strong and aesthetic restorations with just one material, KATANA™ Zirconia YML. This allows for a reduced inventory, while working time is significantly shortened due to the possibility of high-speed sintering.

Yuta Tajima:

To my mind, the most convincing properties are excellent firing accuracy due to well-balanced material properties across all layers, the wide range of shades available and the great design flexibility even when designing long-span bridges. Last but not least, the trusted quality of the KATANA™ brand and the label “Made in Japan” are reasons to opt for this new product.

All blanks from the KATANA™ Zirconia Series stand out from other dental zirconia materials due to their particularly fine-grained, densely pressed microstructure, which is the basis for a superior surface quality, edge stability and the resulting accuracy of fit. What is the secret behind this exceptionally high blank quality?

Since we do not know the correlation between marginal stability properties (chipping, etc.) and material compositions, structures etc., it is very difficult to answer this question. It may depend on the structures of the zirconia crystals, the raw material itself, the correct strength level after pre-sintering or any other minor factor during the manufacturing process of the disc. All these factors together, of course, are important.

We are using pigments developed by KND, which have an excellent colour stability without fading even after the final sintering procedure.

Even if the restoration margins have been milled to a very thin profile, they still show smooth margins without any chipping.

A clear advantage of the KATANA™ Zirconia series, much praised by KND's Key Opinion Leaders, is its colour stability and shade match to the "VITA classical shade guide". Can you explain the importance of an in-house conducted addition of additives and color pigments in form of metal oxides to satisfy the user and distinguish KATANA™ Zirconia from competitors’ products?

We are using pigments developed by KND, which have an excellent colour stability without fading even after the final sintering procedure. The particle size is appropriately controlled. In addition, our professional "colour mixing" staff, reflecting the opinions of clinically experienced dental technicians both inside and outside the company, have achieved a pigment mixture that shows only a slight change in shade even in cases with different thicknesses.

What is your vision with regard to future developments in dental zirconia?

Since the introduction of zirconia on the dental market, many significant material advances have been achieved. Today, there are high-strength, low light-transmitting zirconia materials up to high light- transmitting, low strength zirconia materials available on the market. Furthermore, there are now also high light-transmitting, low strength zirconia materials in mixed systems (YML series) offered. Our foremost goal is to develop the ultimate zirconia in near future, combining both high strength and high light transmission, which breaks the general expectation of a compromise between strength and translucency within zirconia materials.

PROVEN SCIENCE AND ARTISTRY LEAD TO QUALITY

Kuraray Noritake Dental enables the unique in-house production of raw materials. In contrast to our competitors, who source their raw materials externally (well known: Tosoh Cooperation), Kuraray Noritake Dental distinguishes itself by its unique in-house production of zirconia raw materials. Many years of expertise in manufacturing the company’s own powder have brought the material quality of KATANA™ to completely new dimensions, not only by controlling the degree of purity and particle sizes, but also by creating an optimal balance of binders, color pigments, stabilizers and other ingredients.

“WE CONTROL EVERY DETAIL.”

KATANA™ Zirconia STML NW with CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain
Sergio R. Arias DDS, MS Sung Bin Im, MDC, CDT

NEW SINTERING SCHEDULE

In addition to the new sintering programs, the traditional KATANA™ sintering programs can also be used, if desired.

By Prof. Dr. Florian Beuer

Zirconia has been the most popular all-ceramic material in dentistry for more than two decades. While the earlier generations of zirconia had to be veneered with porcelain to achieve acceptable aesthetics, recent developments showed higher translucency, allowing them to be used as full-contour restorations with partial veneering on the buccal aspects. However, the higher translucency was paid off by reduced mechanical stability.

In the past, we had to decide whether we want high stability or high translucency. With the introduction of the new KATANA™ Zirconia YML, both characteristics are combined in one disc. Analogue to previous multi-layer materials, the graded translucency is now combined with graded mechanical strength. The three apical layers (body 1 to body 3) consist of high strength zirconia with a flexural strength of 1000 MPa, while the enamel layer shows a flexural strength of 750 MPa. Thanks to this combination, aesthetics can be achieved much easier with higher buffers for mechanical stress. On the other hand, there is the potential to reduce thickness of the restoration and save tooth tissue during preparation.

At the KATANA™ Zirconia YML symposium (www.kuraraysymposium.info) on July 3^rd, we will look at the developments of zirconia in the last years and point out the significance of monolithic restorations, their strengths and the crucial issues in the treatment protocol. Join us!

Dentist:

PROF. DR. FLORIAN BEUER

Professor and Chair, Department of Prosthodontics, Geriatric Dentistry and Craniomandibular Disorders, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.

Case by MDT Daniele Rondoni

Usually, the aesthetic potential of a dental ceramic material – specifically its translucency – may be increased only at the expense of a decreased flexural strength. The new KATANA™ Zirconia YML from Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. is different. With its high flexural strength of 1,100 MPa in the lower half of the blank and high translucency in the upper body and incisal areas, it has a high aesthetic potential and an unlimited indication range, as shown using the following case example.

Fig. 1. KATANA™ Zirconia YML 4-unit and 6-unit bridges after milling and sintering. A natural vestibular surface texture plays a decisive role in the creation of aesthetic monolithic restorations.

Fig. 2. The two bridges on the model after ultra-micro layering with CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc.).

Fig. 3. Stained and glazed restorations and their translucency in transmitted light.

FINAL SITUATION

Fig. 4. Buccal view of the 6-unit bridge cemented in the patient’s mouth.

Fig. 5. Buccal view of the 4-unit bridge cemented in the patient’s mouth.

With this new type of multi-layered zirconia, it is possible to produce aesthetic monolithic restorations suitable even for use in the anterior area. A high design flexibility is offered despite strength gradation, and the high translucency in the incisal area is responsible for a natural look after sintering. Ultra-micro layering and glazing on the monolithic surface will be sufficient to produce outcomes to our patients’ satisfaction.

Dentist:

DANIELE RONDONI, MDT

Born in Savona in 1961 where he lives and has worked in his own laboratory since 1982 with his collaborators. Graduated from the dental technician school IPSIA “P. Gaslini” in Genoa in 1979. He continued his education by attending relevant workshops for the “Italian dental school“ and broadened his professional experience in Switzerland, Germany and Japan. Since 2011 Kuraray Noritake Dental International Instructor.

The fact that different zirconia materials are used depending on the indication is both a blessing and a curse: Blessing because it allows dental technicians to achieve the best possible outcomes in every situation, and curse because the approach requires a extensive inventory and a lot of decisions. For those who prefer to take a more efficient route without compromising the outcomes, KATANA™ Zirconia YML is the new go-to solution. With its strong core and translucent outer layer, this new generation of multi-layered zirconia offers the properties needed for a broad indication range and easily obtained aesthetics.

KATANA™ Zirconia YML is the reinvention of the original multi-layer technology developed by Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. (Kuraray Noritake Dental) more than a decade ago. It features new raw materials of different yttria concentrations integrated into the well-liked four-layer colour structure. The result is a disc with a well-balanced combination of chroma, translucency and flexural strength gradation.

As all body layers have a flexural strength of at least 1,000 MPa, the new zirconia fulfills the requirements for a broad range of indications even including monolithic long-span restorations. With its proven colour gradient and super-high translucency enamel layer, the aesthetic potiential is so high that it is often sufficient to opt for a monolithic design of the desired restorations and a time-saving finishing procedure such as polishing or ultra-micro layering with liquid ceramics (e.g. CERABIEN™ ZR FC Paste Stain).

The different layers in the blank are perfectly adjusted to each other through an in-house production procedure which ensures easy positioning of the restorations within the blank, a seamless multi-layer structure required for flawless aesthetics, a precise fit and predictable long-term behaviour.

The advanced fabrication and material composition comes with another advantage: A 54-minute high-speed sintering procedure is available for single-tooth restorations and bridges with up to three units. The optical and mechanical properties of the restorations are comparable to those after the alternative 90-minute or seven-hour sintering cycle.

KATANA™ Zirconia YML will be available July 1^st 2021. To celebrate the launch of the new member to our KATANA™ Zirconia family, we invite you to join us for a virtual kick-off symposium on July 3^rd, 2021 at 10:00 CET. We will show you how aesthetic outcomes are achieved with minimal effort, how design flexibility puts you in control and how the pace of procedures is accelerated without compromising quality.

Registration and further information: www.kuraraysymposium.info

Download brochure:

Discover the next step in the evolution of multi-layered zirconia!

Let us introduce you to KATANA™ Zirconia YML, the next step in the evolution of multi-layered zirconia! The material of superlatives will take center stage at the KATANA™ Zirconia YML Virtual Kick-Off Symposium on July 3, 2021. Renowned experts from the scientific and practical field will share important facts and first-hand information on the unique allrounder and its ability to empower dental laboratories.

Celebrating the launch of the new member to our KATANA™ Zirconia family, we will show you how aesthetic outcomes are achieved with minimal effort, how design flexibility puts you in control and how the pace of procedures is accelerated without compromising quality.

Hence, participation is highly recommended for everyone striving for more: more safety, more reliability, more simplicity and, ultimately, more time.

Registration and further information: www.kuraraysymposium.info