Thinking about wear of antagonist teeth

Abstract

Monolithic zirconia crowns are often misunderstood as being highly abrasive to antagonist teeth due to their high hardness. However, wear is influenced not only by material hardness but also by surface treatment and microstructure. This study evaluated the wear characteristics of various restorative materials by measuring their coefficient of friction. The results showed that mirror-polished zirconia exhibited a low coefficient of friction, minimizing wear on antagonist teeth. In contrast, glazed or coarsely polished zirconia showed a higher coefficient of friction, leading to greater wear of antagonist teeth. Additionally, other restorative materials, such as lithium disilicate, were also found to be significantly affected by surface structure and homogeneity in their frictional behavior. These findings indicate that mirror polishing after occlusal adjustment is essential to reduce wear on antagonist teeth when using zirconia restorations. Furthermore, the coefficient of friction depends not only on material hardness but also on microstructure and surface conditions. Similar findings have been reported in international studies, supporting our results that mirror-polished zirconia causes the least wear on antagonist teeth. These findings emphasize the importance of proper surface finishing in zirconia restorations to minimize wear on antagonist teeth.