Zolid Bion: Innovative new zirconia unifies aesthetics, safety and speed

Amann Girrbach brings a new material to market following 15 years of zirconia development work: Zolid Bion is the name of the new high-performance zirconia, which optimises the aesthetics and natural appearance of restorations without compromising on safety. Crowns can also be sintered in just 45 minutes - a property Zolid Bion offers as the first zirconia in its class.

Zirconia is the CAD/CAM material par excellence and an indispensable part of routines in dental practices and laboratories. For almost two years now, so-called 3D zirconias have been increasingly appearing on the market, which offer numerous advantages, particularly with regard to aesthetics in the area of the incisal edge. Until now, however, compromises often had to be made in the interests of safety. Amann Girrbach has brought Zolid Bion to market, a new material unifying aesthetics and safety. "This further improves workflow for users. Zolid Bion is based on 15 years of zirconia development work in Austria and is more versatile than any other material. We are proud to offer users a real game changer with this innovative zirconia," says a delighted Melanie Röschmann, Director Global Business Unit - Consumables at Amann Girrbach. Zolid Bion zirconia is characterised by a smooth colour gradient and increased translucency in the incisal area, giving restorations an even more natural appearance. The zirconia is also available in 16 Vita shades and in two bleach variants as well as in different blank heights.

The raw materials used provide more safety

Thanks to the raw materials used by Amann Girrbach, a strength of over 1,100/± 150 MPa can be guaranteed over the entire cross-section of the blank. "In terms of planning and application, this means absolute freedom and safety. From minimally invasive veneers and monolithic anterior crowns to long-span bridges on implants - users no longer have to choose between different materials, but can cover a wide range of indications with Zolid Bion," said Ms Röschmann and adds: "Additional safety is also provided by the new acrylic frame, which is now featured throughout the entire Zolid portfolio. This can prevent unsightly chipping and fractures and ensures safe handling during milling - and in all milling systems." The topic of safety is rounded off by a comprehensive 10-year warranty on all Zolid materials.

Sintering of crowns made of Zolid Bion in 45 minutes

Amann Girrbach covers the entire dental workflow with its products and services. The company develops innovative materials, as well as sintering furnaces, for zirconia and sintered metal restorations. The latest product from this category is the Therm DRS high-speed furnace. "Thanks to its innovative design, our Therm DRS sintering furnace allows extremely fast sintering cycles. Crowns made of Zolid Bion can thus be sintered in just 45 minutes - and without any sacrifice in terms of aesthetics or safety. So Zolid Bion is the first material in its class to achieve such speeds," Ms Röschmann emphasised. To rule out the possibility of high-speed sintering having any negative impact on material properties, the company collaborated closely with the renowned Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in developing the Therm DRS. Joint in-vitro studies were carried out, all of which arrived at a very positive outcome. "The studies show that high-speed sintering leads to high mechanical strength, high fatigue strength and long-term stability. In addition, no significant influence of aging when compared to conventional sintering could be ascertained. This allows extremely efficient processing for the user, especially for small restorations and makes everyday laboratory and practice work much easier over the long term," Ms Röschmann said.