Newport Beach, Calif. — Glidewell Dental, a leading technological innovator in restorative dentistry for 48 years, announced today the release of BruxZir® Esthetic Solid Zirconia for dental crowns & bridges. An all-new formula developed from the industry-leading BruxZir® Solid Zirconia, BruxZir Esthetic zirconia is a strong and profoundly beautiful material unique enough to represent a new category of dental ceramic.
Benefiting from advancements in Glidewell Dental's proprietary colloidal fabrication process, BruxZir Esthetic zirconia exhibits natural vitality and enhanced shade consistency, resulting in incredibly lifelike restorations. Along with its impressive aesthetics, the material boasts an average flexural strength of 870 MPa and requires minimal tooth preparation of only 0.7 mm.
"BruxZir Esthetic zirconia is simply the most beautiful material we've ever produced," said Jim Glidewell, CDT, the company's founder, president and CEO. "And with its demonstrated strength, doctors and their patients no longer have to compromise function or esthetics when selecting that all-important restoration in the anterior."
Upon its release in 2009, the original BruxZir Solid Zirconia offered dentists an all-ceramic alternative to traditional PFM restorations, which have a well-documented history of chipping and fracture in parafunctional situations. Though billed as "more brawn than beauty," original BruxZir zirconia also served as a tooth-colored alternative to full-cast and occlusal gold restorations.
Less than a decade later, BruxZir Solid Zirconia has been prescribed for more than 14 million restorations, spearheading a global shift from full-cast and porcelain-veneered restorations to monolithic ceramic crowns & bridges. Original BruxZir Solid Zirconia remains the only zirconia material with eight years of clinical validation by independent researchers Rella and Gordon J. Christensen of the venerable Gordon J. Christensen Clinicians Report® (CR Foundation®; Provo, Utah — cliniciansreport.org).
"The proof is in the science," said Mike Selberis, chief technology officer at Glidewell Dental. "While the incredible demand for BruxZir zirconia has spawned numerous attempts at mimicking its class-leading performance, the proprietary processing developed by our engineers and scientists to enhance the material's strength and translucency continues to set BruxZir zirconia apart from a sea of generic imitators."
Mr. Glidewell added, "With this achievement, I'm again humbled by the efforts of our research & development teams, who are committed to providing the very best in restorative material performance at an affordable price."
As part of this announcement, Glidewell Laboratories, the restorative division of Glidewell Dental, has indicated that it will no longer offer its BruxZir Anterior material, converting these prescriptions to the stronger, more translucent BruxZir Esthetic zirconia. Alongside BruxZir Esthetic restorations, the lab will continue to offer original BruxZir® Full-Strength zirconia where prescribed for maximum durability.
Priced at $109 per unit, BruxZir Esthetic crowns & bridges will feature Glidewell Laboratories' no-fault remake policy and full seven-year warranty, to ensure satisfaction and confidence long after seating.