I have had an interesting learning curve with BruxZir since I first started placing these restorations about 18 months ago, during its initial testing phase. The primary issue we struggled with in the beginning was the esthetics of the solid zirconia – it just didn’t look like a tooth. As we began to incorporate more translucent zirconia powders into the mix, the restorations began to look better, but the shades were still in left field. I would ask the lab for an A2 BruxZir crown, they would make an A2 BruxZir crown, and my digital shade taker confirmed it was an A2 BruxZir crown. But then I put it in the mouth and it was three shades too light. Finally, out of frustration, I had a tooth that was an A1 and asked the lab for an A4 crown, just to see what it would look like. It blended in better than any BruxZir crown to date!

That’s when we began adjusting the shade of BruxZir Solid Zirconia and noticed that it was necessary, because of how much light reflects off of the zirconia material. I became concerned that dentists around the country would receive their BruxZir restorations and wonder why they were so much darker than what they prescribed, so we made a clinical video to show you how and why this phenomenon occurs. Take a look at the “Unique Shade Considerations for BruxZir” video to better understand why a BruxZir crown that looks too dark out of the mouth will blend in the mouth.