Dental porcelain
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Dental porcelain is a porcelain used by a dental technician to create biocompatible lifelike crowns and bridges for the dentist.
The dentist will usually specify a shade of porcelain, corresponding to a set of bottles in the lab containing the porcelain powder. A common shade system used is the Vita guide. The powder corresponding to the dentine base is mixed with water, and then fired. Further layers are built up to mimic the natural translucency of the enamel of the tooth. Often the porcelain is fused to a semi-precious metal or precious metal such as gold, for extra strength. Many new systems use an aluminium oxide or zirconium core.
In a small fraction of cases, depleted uranium was incorporated into dental porcelain used for false teeth to simulate the fluorescence of natural teeth.
The manufacture of 'vanity' dental replacements is expected to become a booming market in India, where a loophole in export laws allows it to be created cheaply.
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