High-strength monolithic and layered zirconia, milled to tight margins and finished to seat in a dentist's chair without a twenty-minute adjustment.
Zirconia has become the default posterior material for a reason: it takes load, it mills predictably, and modern translucency grades finally look like teeth.
Why send it here
Start a caseA practice's schedule lives or dies by the lab — I've watched one late case push back a whole day of chair time.
So I still know the cases moving through this lab, and I answer for how each one is made. Send a case here and it doesn't drop into a queue — it lands with me and one technician who carries it start to finish.
Material Comparison
The three crown materials dentists ask us to compare most often. Pick the one the case needs — we mill all three.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical flexural strength | ~550–1,200 MPa depending on grade | ~400 MPa (lithium disilicate) | Cast metal substructure |
| Esthetics | Good to excellent rises with the translucency grade | Excellent | Good opaque core limits depth |
| Best for | Occlusal load, bruxism, bridges, implants | Anterior and premolar esthetics, adhesive cases | Proven durability, long-span frameworks |
Flexural strength and translucency vary by manufacturer, grade and sintering protocol. The figures above are typical published values — confirm case-specific requirements with the lab before you prep.
Overview
We mill zirconia crowns from pre-sintered blanks and select the grade to fit the case rather than defaulting to one block for everything.
Monolithic: Posterior units are usually delivered stained and glazed, with no porcelain to chip.
Cut back and layered: In the anterior we cut back the facial surface and layer feldspathic porcelain over the core, trading a little strength for depth and internal characterization.
At the Bench
Every unit is designed in CAD against your scan, nested and milled, then sintered and finished at the bench. Margins that are unclear in the scan are the single most common cause of a remake — if we cannot read one, we will ask before milling rather than guess.
Margin integrity: Verified under magnification before the unit goes anywhere near a box.
Contacts and occlusion: Adjusted on the articulated model and checked against the opposing model.
Surface: Polished after any adjustment — never left rough.
Before you cement
Zirconia cannot be etched with hydrofluoric acid — it has no silica phase to etch. For an adhesive bond, air-abrade the intaglio and use a primer containing MDP.
Case Selection
Specifications
Preparation, cementation and material data for planning the case chairside.
| Material | Yttria-stabilized zirconia, milled from pre-sintered blanks (3Y, 4Y and 5Y translucency grades) |
|---|---|
| Typical flexural strength | Approx. 1,100–1,200 MPa (3Y, highest strength) down to approx. 550–750 MPa (5Y, highest translucency) |
| Translucency | Rises with yttria content — 3Y is the most opaque and strongest, 5Y the most lifelike in the esthetic zone |
| Occlusal reduction | 1.0–1.5 mm |
| Axial reduction | 1.0–1.5 mm |
| Margin design | Chamfer or rounded shoulder, 0.5 mm or greater. Supragingival or equigingival finish lines preferred |
| Cementation | Conventional or self-adhesive resin cement. For adhesive protocols, air-abrade the intaglio and use an MDP-containing primer — zirconia cannot be etched with hydrofluoric acid |
| Finishing | Monolithic with stain and glaze, or cut back and layered with feldspathic porcelain in the anterior |
| Restoration types | Single units, anterior and posterior, multi-unit bridges, implant-supported and screw-retained |
| Turnaround | Quoted per case at intake |
Flexural strength and translucency vary by manufacturer, grade and sintering protocol. Ranges above are typical published values — confirm case-specific requirements with the lab before you prep.
Case Submission
We accept scans from all major intraoral systems, including iTero, 3Shape and Medit — or a traditional impression if your practice has not gone digital.
Include with the case:
New to the lab? Open an account and we will walk you through the first case.
Start a case
Open a partner account and your first case moves with a shade record and our remake guarantee — if a unit does not seat, we redo it at no charge.
Prefer to talk? +1 747-268-0808
Zirconia FAQ
It is a trade-off between strength and translucency. A 3Y grade gives the highest flexural strength and suits posterior units, bruxers and longer-span bridges. A 5Y grade is far more translucent and reads better in the esthetic zone, at the cost of strength. Tell us the tooth, the opposing dentition and the esthetic demand, and we will recommend the grade — or cut back and layer the anterior surface.
Conventional and self-adhesive resin cements both work well because retention comes primarily from the preparation. When you want an adhesive bond, air-abrade the intaglio surface and use a primer containing MDP. Do not attempt to etch zirconia with hydrofluoric acid — unlike glass ceramics, it has no silica phase to etch, and HF will not create a bondable surface.
Plan on 1.0–1.5 mm occlusally and axially, with a chamfer or rounded shoulder margin of at least 0.5 mm. Monolithic zirconia tolerates a more conservative prep than layered ceramics, but sharp line angles and knife-edge margins still cause problems in the mill. If clearance is tight, tell us before you scan and we will advise.
A properly polished zirconia surface is kind to opposing enamel — studies consistently show it causes less wear than unpolished or rough ceramic. The risk comes from a glazed surface that has been adjusted chairside and then left unpolished. If you adjust the occlusion at seating, repolish the contact with a zirconia polishing kit.
Yes. Higher-strength grades handle multi-unit and longer-span posterior bridges, and zirconia is a routine choice for screw-retained and implant-supported restorations. For implant work send the implant part details along with the scan so we can select the correct components.
See implant restorationsSwitching labs, de-risked
New to us? If a unit does not seat, we remake it at our cost when it is a lab error. We keep a shade record for your practice, so the second case starts from what worked on the first. See what the remake policy covers.
Let's talk
Partner Offer
Partner with Universal Dental Lab and we place a 3Shape TRIOS 6 Wireless in your operatory — free for the length of our partnership. Scan the prep, send it in seconds, and skip impressions entirely.
