What is multi-layered colored zirconia?

With the increasing use of highly translucent and ultra-translucent zirconia, multi-layered colored zirconia all-ceramic materials have been developed in response. Multi-layered colored zirconia is introduced in recent years by a number of layers of zirconia material with different color (different pre-staining) and different light transmittance, which can simplify the technician's staining operation time, and at the same time make the full anatomical zirconia all-porcelain crowns have gradual change of color and light transmittance, and better meet the aesthetic requirements of the full anatomical zirconia all-porcelain crowns of the aesthetic zone.

Multi-layered colored zirconia all-ceramic materials are not a separate category of zirconia; they include both highly translucent multi-layered colored zirconia and ultra-translucent multi-layered colored zirconia. Strictly speaking, they should be classified as highly translucent zirconia (4Y zirconia) and ultra-translucent zirconia (5Y zirconia) respectively.

Shortcomings of multi-layered colored zirconia all-ceramic materials: The position of the crown within the zirconia blocks during CAD design will affect the aesthetic outcome of the crown; further research and observation are needed to determine whether the interfaces between the multi-layered zirconia ceramic layers will affect the strength of the zirconia all-ceramic crown.

Multi-layered colored zirconia is mainly used for the restoration of zirconia all-ceramic crowns in the anterior aesthetic region.