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Why Lava™ …… Crowns and Bridges
- Precision CAD/CAM system for outstanding marginal fit. Lava™ has superior fit relative to leading competition. This greatly reduces the chances for decay below the crown/bridge, better fit keeps gums healthy and prevents food entrapment in those gaps that can lead to bad breath.
- Proven high strength performance-1440 Mpa 3-pt. bend strength. So you can rest assured that the chance to go back with a failure is minimized.
- 5 year clinical study with 100% survival rate Assuring you of the best that 3M™ ESPE™ has to offer.
- Natural translucency and unmatched aesthetics Lava™ ceramic overlay material is best suited for giving great looking final restorations.
- Patented substructure system available in 8 shades. The tooth shaded internal frameworks ensure that the match to your natural tooth occurs from the substructure level unlike other PFM or Zirconia systems which have white or opaque substructures.
 
Today, there’s a solution as beautiful as nature itself:
3M™ ESPE™ Lava™ Zirconia restorations
Lava™ Zirconia not only offers strength and longevity benefits of porcelain fused to metal (PFM) but also has tremendous advantages compared to other Zirconia restorations. Lava™ Zirconia crowns and bridges can be matched precisely to the color of your own teeth and provide the natural translucency that metal-based restorations and other opaque Zirconia can't.
 
Competitive Product Comparison
Lava™ Frame (3M ESPE)
  High strength Zirconium oxide for the preparation of crowns and bridges for the posterior and anterior region

Indications

Single crowns
Splinted crowns
All 3- and 4-unit bridges
Cantilever bridges (cantilever pontic maximally on     second premolar)


 
Claims
Trusted high strength ceramic
Durable strength for front (anterior) and back (posterior) tooth applications
Much stronger than conventional all ceramic materials (glass ceramics and infiltrated ceramics)
Individually colorable translucent frameworks (7 different colors for the Zirconia framework)
Larger shade selection for restoration frameworks compared to major competitors
Biocompatible and non-metalic
 
 

 
Test Results
Figure 1: Flexural Strength of Lava Frame Zirconia and Cercon Zirconia: Lava Frame shows a significantly higher strength compared to Cercon.   Flexural Strength: The flexural strength of Lava™ Frame Zirconia and Cercon™ Zirconia has been determined according to ISO 6872 (method: punch-on-three balls). Lava Frame Zirconia shows a significantly higher strength compared to Cercon Zirconia (Non parametric ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0,05; One-way ANOVA, p < 0,05). There is no significant difference between the colored and the uncolored Lava Frame Zirconia.

Source: 3M ESPE internal measurements, July 2005
 

Figure 2: Transmission of Lava Frame Zirconia and Cercon Zirconia
  Transmission: The total transmission of Lava Frame Zirconia was measured in a spectrophotometer and compared with the total transmission of Cercon Zirconia (specimens of 0,5 mm thickness). Lava Frame has a higher total transmission compared to the respective material of the competitor.

Lava Frame Zirconia is characterized by a high translucency supporting the aesthetic outcome of the whole restoration.

Total transmission was measured from 380 nm to 800 nm, subsequently integrated and corrected by the physiological sensitivity and standardized on the material of highest transmission.

Source: 3M ESPE internal measurements, June 2005
 
  Clinical Performance: Two clinical studies have proven the high strength of the Lava Frame Zirconia. Of 38 posterior Lava bridges which have been placed with Ketac™ Cem, after three years no fracture of the framework was recorded (Prof. Pospiech, University of Homburg). This is also confirmed by the clinical study of Dr. A. Raigrodski and Prof. G. Chiche. After a mean observation time of one year all 20 posterior bridges are still in situ. Moreover, Lava Frame Zirconia looks back to a successful 5-years clinical experience.

Source: P. R. Pospiech, P. R. Rountree, F. P. Nothdurft (2003) IADR #0817; P. Pospiech, F. Nothdurft (2004) CED #0230; A. Raigrodski, G. J. Chiche, N. Potiket, J. L. Hochstedler, S. E. Mohamed, S. Billiot, D. E. Mercante (2005) IADR #0226
 
A commitment from 3M™ ESPE™
3M™ ESPE™ is committed to providing materials and solutions that are safe and effective for use. Lava™ Zirconia could be an alternative for those who have concerns about aesthetics and strength.