journal of dentistry 41s (2013) e24e30

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Optical properties of current ceramics systems for laminate

veneers
Bora Bagis a,*, Sedanur Turgut b
a
b

DDS Izmir Katip Celebi University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Prosthodontics, Izmir, Turkey
DDS Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Prosthodontics, Trabzon, Turkey

article info

abstract

Article history:

Objectives: Full-ceramic systems can be produced by different techniques (layering, heat-

Received 28 May 2012

pressing, CAD/CAM) and have various compositions with different crystalline contents that

Received in revised form

may affect the optical properties of laminate restorations.

8 November 2012

Methods: A total of 60 specimens were prepared from e.max Press, e.max CAD, Empress

Accepted 12 November 2012

Esthetic, e.max Ceram, Inline, and ZirPress systems (A1 shade; diameter 10 mm; thickness
0.5  0.05 mm). The L*, a*, and b* values, chroma and translucency (TP) of each system were
recorded before and after ageing. The statistical analyses were performed by ANOVA,

Keywords:

Tukeys tests and the paired sample t-test ( p < 0.05).

Laminate veneer

Results: The L* value of the shade guide was significantly different from those of the full-

Optical property

ceramic systems; however, there were no significant differences between the a* values of

Shade guide

Ceram, Esthetic, Inline and Zirpress. There were significant differences between the b*

Translucency

values of the shade guide compared with the full-ceramics except for e.max Press. The L*

Chroma

values decreased, and the a* and b* values increased after the ageing process for all groups.

Ageing

There were no significant differences between the DE values of the ceramic systems
( p > 0.05). The TP values decreased, and the chroma value increased significantly after
the ageing process ( p > 0.05). The chroma of the shade guide was found to be the highest.
Conclusions: None of the full-ceramic systems was able to match the color of the shade
guide. The chemical structures of the ceramic systems were more effective for determining
the optical parameters than the fabrication techniques. Ageing caused full-ceramics to
become more opaque, darker, reddish and yellowish.
# 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1.

Introduction

Due to the complex optical characteristics of tooth color,

achieving successful aesthetics with a restoration is a difficult
process for dental clinicians. Successful aesthetic restorations
require knowledge of some basic principles and of the optical
characteristics of restorative materials.1,2 The problem of
matching the color of natural teeth has been investigated and

described. Dozic et al.3 reported that small changes in the

thickness and shade of the opaque and translucent porcelain
layers can influence the definitive shade of all ceramic
restorations. The challenge for laminate restorations is to
achieve ideal color and aesthetics with limited preparation of
the enamel.4 Several factors have been reported to influence
the definitive color of porcelain restorations, such as firing,5
glazing6 or the powder/liquid ratio.7 Surface texture could also
influence the optical properties of the ceramics, and it has

* Corresponding author at: Izmir Katip Celebi Universitesi, Dis Hekimligi Fakultesi, Aydnlk Evler Mahallesi, Cemil Meric Caddesi, 6780
Sokak, No: 48, 35640-Cigli, Izmir, Turkey. Tel.: +90 532 6804656.
E-mail address: bbagis@yahoo.com (B. Bagis).
0300-5712/$ see front matter # 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2012.11.013

journal of dentistry 41s (2013) e24e30

been reported that the surface waviness had high correlation

coefficients with optical parameters.8
Ceramics can be produced by different techniques, such as
the traditional layering technique (veneered by condensing
and sintering veneering porcelain), the fully anatomical
technique (veneered by heat-pressing fluorapatite glass
ceramic ingots or CADCAM) or the cut-back technique
(veneered by partial heat-pressing and subsequent layering).9
Different heat temperatures, pressing pressure or the sintering techniques can also influence the porcelain texture. The
different interface textures between the porcelain layers can
change the direction of incident light and further change the
optical properties of the ceramic restoration. Whether different techniques have the same influence on the appearance of
full-ceramic restorations has not been determined.
Translucency is identified as one of the primary factors in
controlling aesthetics and a critical consideration in the
selection of materials.10,11 The optical properties of teeth
and porcelains include color and translucency in addition to
hue, value and chroma.10 All ceramic systems have various
compositions with different crystalline contents, such as
lithium disilicate, fluorapatite or leucite, which may affect the
optical properties of these systems. An increase in the
crystalline content to achieve greater strength generally
results in greater opacity.12
To achieve a natural-looking restoration, two different
steps need to be performed: select the best possible shade
using a shade guide and/or an electronic shade-taking
instrument, and reproduce this shade with an appropriate
dental material.1 Shade selection is usually made by comparing the natural dental tissues with a shade guide. Although
this color selection procedure has been the subject of several
investigations, it is still considered to be the best and is
therefore one of the weakest links in aesthetic restorative
dentistry.2,1317 Fazi et al.18 showed that no consistent
recommendations are provided by the dental manufacturers.Studies have compared the clinical performance of ceramics; however, the color compatibility of ceramic systems when
constructing laminate veneers using different techniques and
chemical structures is unknown. Establishing the correct
match with the desired shade of the shade guide is still
difficult. The durability of the color of the restorations may
change after clinical use. In addition, only a few studies have
focused on the optical properties of ceramics after ageing
procedures, which is important for the long-term success of a
restoration.1921
The aim of this study was to determine the ability of
ceramic systems to shade match with the shade guide and the
optical properties of these systems after the ageing procedure.

e25

The null hypotheses were the following: (1) shade matching of

all ceramic systems would be compatible with the shade guide
and (2) optical differences would not be found between the
ceramic systems after the ageing procedure.

2.

Materials and methods

2.1.

Specimen preparation

A total of 60 disc-shaped specimens of shade A1 were prepared

from the IPS e.max Press, IPS e.max CAD, IPS Empress Esthetic,
IPS e.max Ceram, IPS Inline, and IPS ZirPress ceramic systems
(Table 1). The IPS e.max Press, IPS Empress Esthetic, and IPS
ZirPress specimens were prepared by burning out a 0.5 mm
thickness of wax with a diameter of 10 mm. The specimens
were then heat-pressed (IPS Empress EP 600 press furnace)
according to the manufacturers directions. The IPS e.max
Ceram and IPS Inline specimens were made by mixing ceramic
powder with distilled water, which was then fired according to
the manufacturers directions. The IPS e.max CAD specimens
were prepared from IPS e.max CAD ingots using a slow-speed
diamond saw (ISOMET, Buehler Ltd., Lake Bluff, IL) under a
constant flow of water, which served as a lubricant and
coolant. All specimens were finished flat on a grinder/polisher
with wet #400 to #1200 grit silicon carbide paper, and the
thickness of the specimens was standardized (diameter,
10 mm; thickness, 0.5  0.05 mm). Digital callipers (Electronic
Digital Caliper, Shan, China) were used to measure the
thicknesses, and the specimens were ultrasonically cleaned
in distilled water for 10 min. The specimens were then coated
on one side with a layer of neutral-shade glaze and fired at
765 8C. The specimens were then ultrasonically cleaned in
distilled water for 10 min before the color measurements.

2.2.

Measurement of the optic parameters of the ceramics

The color measurements were performed with a tristimulus

colorimeter (ShadeEye NCC, Shofu, Kyoto, Japan) in a viewing
booth under D65 standard illumination on a white background
and were based on the ISO standards (ISO 7491). Before the
experimental measurements, the colorimeter was calibrated
according to the manufacturers instructions, and the colorimeter was positioned in the middle of each sample. The L*a*b*
color notation of each specimen was measured consecutively
three times, and the average of the three readings was
calculated to give the initial color of the specimen. The color
values of all the ceramics were measured according to the
Commission Internationale de lEclairage (CIE) L*a*b* system.L

Table 1 Ceramics used in the study.

Material
IPS
IPS
IPS
IPS
IPS
IPS

e.max Press
Empress Esthetic
ZirPress
emax.Ceram
Inline
e.max CAD

Manufacturer

Material type

Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein

Lithium disilicate
Leucite
Fluorapatite
Nano-fluorapatite
Leucite
Lithium disilicate

Technique
Pressing
Pressing
Pressing
Layering
Layering
Machining

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journal of dentistry 41s (2013) e24e30

(lightness or brightness or value) corresponds to the L* of the

CIE Lab* system and represents the lightness/darkness of a
color; a* is a measure of redness (positive) or greenness
(negative); and b* is a measure of yellowness (positive) or
blueness (negative). The (CIE) measurements enable the
evaluation of the degree of perceptible color change based
on the three coordinates L*, a*, and b*.2224

back panel temperature varied between 38 8C (dark) and 70 8C

(light), and the relative humidity was 95% (dark) and 50%
(light). The dry bulb temperature was 38 8C in the dark and
47 8C in the light. The testing cycle consisted of 40 min of light
only, 20 min of light with front water spray, 60 min of light
only, and 60 min in the dark with back water spray. The total
exposure energy was 150 kJ/m2.

2.3.

2.7.
Measurement of optic parameters after ageing of the
ceramics

Measurement of color properties of the shade guide

Color measurements were made from A1 shade tab of the

shade guide (Chromascop, Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) using the same colorimeter under the same conditions as described before. The measurements were obtained
from the tab by contacting the measurement tip on the middle
third region of the shade tab. The L*a*b* color notation of the
tab was measured consecutively three times, and the average
of the three readings was calculated to give the initial color.

2.4.

Evaluation of chroma values

Chroma, which enables the differentiation of pale and strong

colors, is defined as the radial component of the cylindrical
coordinates CIE L*a*b* and calculated according to the formula
Lab = [(a*)2 + (b*)2]1/2.25

2.5.

Evaluation of translucency parameters

The color of the glazed surfaces of the specimen was

measured over white (CIE L* = 96.97, a* = 0.14 and b* = 0.2)
and black (CIE L* = 1.43, a* = 0.13 and b* = 0.62) backgrounds.
Translucency is the property of a substance that permits the
passage of light but disperses the light so that an object cannot
be observed clearly through the material, i.e., a state between
complete opacity and transparency. Based on the CIE L*a*b*
system, the translucency of a material is usually determined
with the translucency parameter (TP). TP refers to the color
difference between a uniform thickness of a material over
black and white backgrounds, which corresponds directly to
the visual assessments of translucency. If the material is
absolutely opaque, the TP value is zero. The greater the TP
value, the higher the actual translucency of a material.26,27 The
TP was obtained by calculating the color difference between
the specimen over the white background and that over the
black background:
TP Lw  Lb2 aw  ab2 bw  bb2 

1=2

where b refers to the color coordinates over the black background and w refers to those over the white.28,29

2.6.

Ageing test

The specimens were subjected to artificial ageing using an

Atlas UV 2000 test machine (Material Testing Technology LLC,
Chicago). Aluminium plates were prepared in accordance with
the sample size, and the specimens were inserted into the
mould of the plates and subjected to accelerated ageing tests.
All specimens were exposed to ultraviolet light and water
spray for 300 h in the test machine. The glazed surface of each
specimen was continuously exposed to the light source. The

After ageing, the specimen color was again measured under

the same conditions as before. The L*, a* and b* values were
recorded. The color differences (DE values) were calculated
from the L*, a*, and b* values before and after ageing:
DE = [(DL*)2 + (Da*)2 + (Db*)2]1/2.

2.8.

Data analysis

The normality of the data was analyzed with the ShapiroWilk

test. Because whole data indicated normal distribution,
parametric tests were used. The L*, a*, b* and chroma values
of the shade guide and the 12 ceramics groups were analyzed
using analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) and Tukeys
tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. To compare the L*, a*, b*
and TP values of the ceramics before and after ageing, twoway ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were used. The mean values
of L*, a*, b*, chroma and TP before and after ageing were
compared using the paired sample t-test. Tukeys test was
used to compare the DE values among the ceramics after
ageing. The Pearson correlation coefficient test was also used
for the comparison of the TP and chroma values after ageing.
For all analyses, p values <0.05 were considered to indicate
statistical significance.

2.9.

Results

The shade guides color values for the A1 shade tab were
measured as L* = 73.8, a* = 0.9, and b* = 10.7. The L* value of
the shade guide was significantly different for all ceramic
systems used; however, there was no significant difference
between the a* values of IPS Ceram, IPS Esthetic, IPS Inline and
IPS Zirpress. There were significant differences between the b*
values of the shade guide and all ceramic groups, except IPS
e.max Press ( p > 0.05).
Tables 24 show the means and standard deviations of the
L*, a*, and b* values of the ceramics before and after ageing.
Two-way ANOVA revealed significant interactions of the a*
values between the ceramic groups and the ageing test
( p < 0.001). There were no significant interactions of the L*
( p = 0.662) and b* values (0.999) between the ceramic groups
and the ageing test. The IPS e.max Press system showed the
highest L* and b* values (L* = 90.9 and b* = 9.8) before ageing,
whereas the IPS Esthetic showed the smallest values
(L* = 86.24 and b* = 5.48). The IPS Esthetic showed the highest
a* value (0.08), and the IPS e.max CAD showed the lowest a*
value (1.74) before ageing. The L* values decreased, and the a*
and b* values increased after the ageing process for all groups.
The color differences after the ageing process are shown in
Table 2. The DE values vary from 1.39 to 1.83, and there were no

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journal of dentistry 41s (2013) e24e30

Table 2 Means and standard deviations of the L*, a*, and

b* values of all-ceramics and the scale before ageing.

Ceram
Esthetic
E.max Press
Inline
ZirPress
E.max CAD
SCALE

L*

a*

b*

89.04  0.41(x)
86.24  0.72(y)
90.9  0.78(x)
89.52  0.87(x)
89.81  0.53(x)
85.32  0.71(x)
73.8(z)

0.72  0.12(x)
0.08  0.13(x)
1.67  0.17(y)
1.07  0.21(x)
1.0  0.12(x)
1.74  0.09(y)
0.9(x)

6.87  0.5(x)
5.48  0.67(y)
9.8  1.48(wx)
8.17  0.57(z)
8.3  0.32(z)
9.48  1.27(wz)
10.7(tw)

compatible with the shade guide, was rejected. The second

null hypothesis, which stated that no optical differences
would be found after the ageing procedure among the ceramic
systems, was accepted. Optical properties of the ceramics
were changed after the ageing procedure.
The results indicated that none of the full-ceramic systems
were able to match the color of the shade guide. The L* value of
the shade guide was found to be the lowest compared with the
ceramics, meaning that newly produced ceramic veneers are
brighter than the shade guide. This result may be explained by
the thickness of the shade guide, as it has dentine and enamel
masses, which are much thicker than the full-ceramic
specimens used in this study. Clinicians select the color of
the laminate veneers without removing the dentine layer of
the shade guide. Producing shade guides with only an enamel
layer of different thicknesses might be more useful for
laminate veneer color selection. In a previous study,30 two
different shade guides were compared with metal base
ceramics, and a closer color correspondence was observed
for the Vitapan 3D Master than the Vitapan Classical. The color
values of the shade guide were different from the specimens in
that study, and the thickness of the specimens was 1.6 mm. In
the current study, the Chromascop shade guide, which is
recommended for full-ceramic restorations, was used for color
correspondence, and the thickness of the ceramic specimens
used in the present study was thinner (0.5 mm) to simulate the
clinical conditions for laminate veneers. Laminate restorations have generally been reported to be 0.30.9 mm in
thickness, and the overall color can be changed by the
thickness. The color values (L*, a* and b*) of the shade guide
were also found to be significantly different from the
constructed laminates for all the ceramic systems used in
the present study.
In addition to the different chemical structures, ceramic
veneers can also be fabricated with different techniques:

Groups with same letters do not have significant differences in

columns ( p > 0.05).

significant differences between the DE values of the ceramic

systems ( p > 0.05).
Table 4 show the means and standard deviations of the
chroma and TP values before and after ageing. There were
significant differences among these values after the ageing
process. The TP values decreased and the chroma values
increased significantly after ageing ( p > 0.05). The IPS Esthetic
was the most translucent (20.89), and the IPS e.max CAD was
the least translucent (15.82) ceramic system. The chroma
value of the shade guide was found to be the highest compared
with the other ceramic specimens ( p < 0.05). No significant
correlation was found between the TP and chroma values after
ageing. (IPS Ceram: r = 0.697, p = 0.082; IPS Esthetic: r = 0.683,
p = 0.091; IPS Inline: r = 0.436, p = 0.328; IPS e.max Press:
r = 0.105, p = 0.823; IPS Zirpress: r = 0.604, p = 0.151; IPS e.max
CAD: r = 0.112; p = 0.812).

3.

Discussion

Based on these results, the first null hypothesis, which stated

that shade matching of all ceramic systems would be

Table 3 Means and standard deviations of the L*, a*, and b* and DE values of all-ceramics after ageing.

Ceram (a)
Esthetic (a)
E.max Press (a)
Inline (a)
ZirPress (a)
E.max CAD (a)

L*

a*

b*

DE

88.21  0.64(#)
84.84  0.45(#)
89.92  0.88(#)
88.15  1.03(#)
88.56  0.55(#)
89.84  0.84(#)

0.61  0.12(#)
0.57  0.11(#)
1.2  0.15(#)
0.75  0.11(#)
0.61  0.14(#)
1.28  0.16(#)

7.88  0.77(#)
6.41  0.74(#)
10.78  1.33(#)
9.28  0.69(#)
9.42  0.46(#)
10.42  1.07(#)

1.49(x)
1.71(x)
1.51(x)
1.85(x)
1.83(x)
1.59(x)

Groups with same letters do not have significant differences in columns ( p > 0.05). Symbols show the significant difference between the values
before and after ageing ( p < 0.05).

Table 4 Chroma and TP mean and standard deviation values before and after ageing.
Chroma
Ceram
Esthetic
E.max Press
Inline
ZirPress
E.max CAD

(x)

6.92  0.53
5.48  1.21(y)
9.95  0.89(wz)
8.24  0.48(z)
8.36  0.65(z)
10.04  1.02(wz)

Chromaa
(#)

7.9  0.56
6.38  0.92(#)
10.88  0.77(#)
9.15  0.64(#)
9.42  0.56(#)
11.33  0.82(#)

Translucency
(x)

15.91  0.71
19.87  0.49(w)
16.19  0.95(xy)
19.09  1.16(wz)
17.97  1.01(yz)
14.49  0.83(x)

Translucencya
16.63  0.76(#)
20.89  0.67(#)
16.96  0.81(#)
20.06  1.04(#)
18.06  1.32(#)
14.82  0.79(#)

Groups with same letters do not have significant differences in columns ( p > 0.05). Symbols show the significant difference between the values
before and after ageing ( p < 0.05).
a
After ageing.

e28

journal of dentistry 41s (2013) e24e30

pressing, layering or CAD/CAM. The IPS e.max Press (lithium

disilicate based), the IPS e.max ZirPress (fluorapatite based),
and the IPS Esthetic (leucite based) ceramics were chosen for
the pressing technique; the IPS e.max CAD (lithium disilicate
based) ceramics were chosen for the CAD/CAM technique in
this study. The IPS Inline (leucite) and IPS e.max Ceram (nanofluorapatite) can be made by the layering technique. Although
the IPS e.max Press, Esthetic, e.max CAD, ZirPress, Inline or
Ceram all-ceramic systems have different structures and/or
construction techniques, their manufacturers recommend the
same shade guide (Chromascop) for shade selection. Clinicians usually consider the color matching by using the same
shade guide despite the differences in the chemical structures
by composition or manufacturing methods. Although color
measurement devices, such as colorimeters and spectrophotometers, have become popular because of their accuracy,
standardization, and numerical expression of colors. In
dentistry, color matching has traditionally been performed
with shade guides, which is a cheaper and more practical
process.17,31,32 Producing shade tabs for each material of
several thicknesses according to the manufacturers instructions might be more useful because it would more accurately
simulate the final shade of the restoration.
In the present study, the ceramics used for layering (IPS
e.max Ceram, IPS Inline) had different optical properties
compared with the pressed or CAD/CAM ceramics. Each
technique is said to be able to improve the aesthetic properties
of all-ceramic cores,11 but whether different veneering
techniques have the same influence on the appearance of
these restorations has not been determined. There were also
significant differences between the a* and b* values of the IPS
e.max Ceram and IPS Inline layering ceramics, with IPS Inline
being more reddish and yellowish.
In the present study, although the lithium disilicate-based
IPS e.max Press and IPS e.max CAD have different construction techniques, there were no significant differences between
the L*, a*, b*, and chroma values or the translucency of the
specimens. Firing, pressing or machining procedures do not
appear to affect the color of these ceramic materials, and
different crystalline composition of the material may determine the optical properties rather than the construction
techniques.
In addition, the physical characteristics of the porcelain
that lead to light absorption may also affect the optic
parameters of a ceramic, such as translucency. Both the
physical structure of the particles (leading to absorption) and
the relative refractive index of the particles in the matrix affect
the amount of scattering.33,34 A material composed of small
particles (approximately 0.1 mm in diameter) is less opaque,
whereas large particles (approximately 10 mm in diameter)
cause surface reflection as the light strikes, refraction as light
passes through, and absorption.34,35 According to our findings,
the IPS Esthetic showed the greatest TP value, and the IPS
e.max CAD showed the lowest. Ceramics that contain less
crystalline phase are generally considered to be more
translucent. However, Zhang et al.35 reported that the
translucency of ceramics containing a crystalline phase (IPS
Eris) was 55% lower than that of porcelain that did not contain
a crystalline phase (Duceram LFC). The crystalline phases in
the IPS Eris porcelain may have had less effect on the

translucency than did the pores. In dental laboratories,

technicians attempt to make ceramic restorations using a
powder/liquid ratio according to the manufacturers directions. However, it has been reported that the suggested
powder/liquid ratio may not always result in the maximum
apparent density and minimum total porosity for all porcelains.36 In the present study, the higher TP value of Ceram,
Inline or Zirpress compared with the lithium-based crystalline
ceramics may be explained by the distribution of the pore size
inside the ceramic structure. In addition, their chemical
structures and particle size may be the reason for the different
TP values of the ceramic systems for the same shade.
In a previous study,37 the contrast ratio of Empress II
veneers (0.46) was significantly lower than that of Procera
veneers (0.50). The lower masking efficiency of the Empress II
core may be explained by its relatively low (60%) volume of
lithium disilicate crystals and its small quantity of lithium
orthophosphate secondary crystalline phase compared with
the Procera core, which contains a 99% volume of alumina
crystals. In addition to the differences in the crystal volumes,
the refractive index of lithium disilicate could be lower than
that of alumina. The findings of the current study indicated
that the TP value of the leucite-based IPS Esthetic is the highest
relative to other full ceramics. Although this property may
promote the optical parameters of the restoration in many
cases, it may cause an unexpected aesthetic appearance of the
restoration, especially when there is severe background
discoloration.
Many color studies have used accelerated ageing procedures, combining UV light exposure with cycles of humidity
and light to better simulate the oral environment.20,21,23 The
color stability of some dental materials was studied after
accelerated ageing up to 450 kJ/m2, and the largest color
change occurred during the first cycle of 150 kJ/m2.21,22 In a
previous study, the color stability of the resin-cemented
e.max Press laminates was studied, and the specimens were
aged for 150 kJ/m2.20 The manufacturer of the ageing machine
used in the present study claimed that 300 h of accelerated
weathering is equivalent to 150 kJ/m2 energy and 1 year of
clinical service.2022 In the present study, the specimens were
aged for 300 h to evaluate the color change during this initial
period.
Clinical color matching may be rated according to the DE
values and under uncontrolled clinical conditions. When the
DE value of two colors is 0, the color difference is described as
perfect; a value of 0.51.5 units is very good; 12 is good;
23.5 is clinically perceptible; and >3.5 is unacceptable.
Average color differences higher than 1.0 DE are considered as
visually detectable and 3.5 DE are rated as imperceptible in the
oral environment.20,24,37,38
In the present study, the L* and a* values decreased,
whereas the b* values increased for all ceramic groups after
ageing, producing darker and more reddish and yellowish
specimens with time. Comparing each system, the results
showed that there were no statistically significant differences
between the color changes of the ceramics after ageing. DE
values were less than 3.5 for all groups; thus, it could be said
that the color changes after ageing were clinically imperceptible but may be visually detectable as the color changes were
higher than 1 DE unit. A recent study reported that all IPS

journal of dentistry 41s (2013) e24e30

e.max Press systems get darker and more red and yellow after
ageing, but this change was clinically imperceptible.20 The
porcelain systems used in the present study showed similar
color changes regardless of their types.
The ageing process also affected the chroma and TP values
of all ceramics, with the TP values decreasing and the chroma
values increasing for all groups. Decreased TP values might be
attributed to the discoloration of the all-ceramic specimens
after ageing. These changes were significantly different. UV
ageing caused the all-ceramics to become more yellow and red
as the a* and b* values increased. As the chroma of the
materials depend on the a* and b* values, it may be suggested
that the specimens would have higher chroma after the ageing
process. The level of clinical acceptability in the variations of
chroma or translucency has not been reported in the
literature, but the ageing process caused the ceramics to
become more opaque and saturated. Clinical trials are
required to assess the optical properties of laminate ceramics
for long-term usage.

4.

Conclusions

1. None of the full-ceramic systems were able to match the

color of the shade guide.
2. The chemical structures of the ceramic systems were more
effective in determining the optical parameters than the
fabrication techniques.
3. Ageing caused full-ceramics to become darker and more
opaque, reddish and yellowish.

Conflict of interest statement

Non declared.

Acknowledgements
The authors thank to Dr. Yildirim Hakan Bagis and Dr. Tamer
Tuzuner for their supports while preparing this study

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