Ceramics & aesthetics - the natural look at the International Dental Show (IDS) 2013

Bright, natural-looking smiles have always been considered beautiful. It's therefore only logical that ceramics with their white basic colouring are the material of choice for many dental patients.

In recent years, highly translucent framework materials and veneer materials that are especially coordinated with them have opened up completely new possibilities for prosthetics experts. What's more, research and development departments are creating new products in this area all the time. No matter whether ceramic dental work is supposed to be visible, partially visible or invisible, it can be effectively used in many cases to create everything from fully anatomical solutions to dental work featuring partial or full veneers. Depending on their aesthetic requirements and financial means, patients can thus receive an offer that is adapted to their individual needs - a key factor for ensuring customer loyalty.

At the moment the trend is clearly towards highly translucent materials, whereby zirconium oxide is especially popular. With the help of special material variants of this high-performance ceramic, it is possible to achieve a dynamic light effect that creates a very natural look. However, to ensure the teeth can be given the desired colour even more quickly and precisely, framework materials are also available ex works in a range of pre-coloured versions. Dental laboratories are also supplying new techniques in the broad field of colouring, including ceramic infiltration with suitable dying liquids and painting systems with new primer liquids or special applicators. Naturally, there are also coherent ceramic systems for the conventional layered technique. In all of these cases, the objective is always to select the most effective and economical solution from a variety of methods.

Every two years, the dental industry demonstrates the enormous potential of the emotionally charged topic of aesthetics at the International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne. Here, manufacturers present their latest developments, dental technicians and dentists discover innovations, and everyone benefits from sharing their knowledge. A special feature of the fair is that products and processes are demonstrated here live and can be examined up close. An item's real utility is therefore immediately obvious, and visitors can easily determine if an innovation will benefit their workflow or not.

"Ideally, IDS visitors will draw up a plan of the manufacturers that are of interest to them and that they wish to go to at the fair," says Dr. Markus Heibach, President of the VDDI. "When it comes to aesthetics, it's crucial that you can directly experience the products because the visual impression is what really counts in such cases. The International Dental Show in Cologne provides an ideal opportunity to do just that. After all, where else do so many representatives of the dental industry come together to present their research and development achievements?"

The International Dental Show (IDS) is held in Cologne every two years. The event is organised by the Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Dental-Industrie mbH (Society for the Promotion of the Dental Industry, GFDI) and the commercial enterprise of the Association of German Dental Manufacturers (VDDI). The trade fair is staged by Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne.