Porcelain Fused to

Metal (PFM)
Ceramics; Stages of
Porcelain formation in
Lab

Dr. Shahreen Zahid

Associate Professor
Steps of PFM in Lab
  Photograph showing a metal-bonded
porcelain
 restoration. Porcelain is built up on an alloy
substructure.

Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM)

  PFM involves the good mechanical
Porcelain properties of cast dental alloys with
excellent aesthetic properties of
porcelain.
Fused to  Generally, the restorations consist of
an alloy substructure with bonded

Metal (PFM) porcelain veneers.

PFM Crown All Ceramic Crown
 Requirements
Porcelain
Fused to The alloy should be capable of forming
a bond with porcelain veneer in order
the latter may not become detached.
Metal
The alloy should be capable of
(PFM) … withstanding porcelain firing high
temperature.

Should be sufficiently rigid to support

the very brittle porcelain.
Requirements
It should have a similar value of coefficient of thermal expansion as for porcelain.
  Tooth structure is prepared before taking

Tooth the final impression for master cast to:

1. Remove undercuts.

Preparation For 2. Provide space for the technician to

construct the restoration.

PFM Restoration 3. Maintain aesthetics.

  At least 1.5 mm space is to be

Tooth provided.
 If adequate space is not
Preparation For provided the restoration will be
bulky with high spots or opaque
PFM Restoration layer of porcelain used to mask
the metal will shin through the
surface layer of porcelain.
Importance
of high spots
Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM)

Involves three steps:

1. Compaction
2. Firing
3. Glazing
Porcelain
Compaction
…

 Porcelain powder is mixed with

distilled water to produce a
plastic mass which can be
molded and carved before
firing.
 The aqueous plastic mass is
compacted onto a platinum
foil matrix or metal cast with a
small brush.
Compaction…

 After each layer of the paste is added, most of

the water is removed by vibrator and contact
with an absorbent tissue paper.
 This will give the wet crown more strength and
increases the density of the compact.
 This reduces the spaces b/w particles leading to
reduction in firing shrinkage.

Main Objective
•All these methods aim in bringing the water to the surface so
that it can be removed easily
•This results in a more compact arrangement with high density
of particles that minimises firing shrinkage
Compaction..

 The inner layer is constructed

from a fairly opaque core
material.
 This is overlaid with a more
translucent dentine material
with a final coating of
translucent enamel porcelain
forming the outermost layer.
Firing
 At elevated temp the starch or
sugar binder catch fire and
the surface of the structure
blackens.
 The door of the furnace is left
slightly open to allow the
products of combustion to
escape.
 Door is than closed and firing is
completed.
 As the porcelain is heated,
adjacent particles bond
together in a process called
sintering.
 Firing..
 Shrinkage takes place as the fluxes
bind the particles together causing a
uniform inward contraction of the
whole mass.
 Further fresh material may be added
to overcome shrinkage before
glazing.
 Stages of the firing:
Biscuit stage of vitreous sintering, involving flow of glass to
form bridges between particles.
 Bisque or biscuit bake (during
initial firing)
 Glaze bake ( after incisal layer is
added)
 Firing (Stages of Baking )…

Low biscuit bake Medium biscuit High biscuit bake

bake
Fluxes begin to flow, Further chemical All shrinkage has
Appearance is changes and taken place
chalky and red. Chalky Surface is rigid and
It is porous with appearance smooth with very
negligible shrinkage disappears.
Powder particles
come close
together resulting in
definite shrinkage
 Firing …

 The surface is generally glazed to improve appearance and surface imperfections,

particularly porosities which may adversely effect mechanical properties.

(Glaze: a ceramic thin covering

added to the dental porcelain
restoration, after it has been fired,
to give a completely non porous
glossy surface).
 Firing …

 A porcelain furnace consists, essentially, of an electrically heated muffle with a

pyrometer which indicates the temp, in that part of the muffle where the porcelain is
placed.

Muffle: part of the furnace in which material may be placed for processing without
exposing it to the direct action of the fire.
Firing …

Porcelain fired under vacuum

Modern porcelain This has the effect of

furnaces allow firing reducing the porosity Porcelain fired under normal

under vacuum. from around 4.6 % to atmospheric pressure

about 0.5%.
 Firing …

 Prerequisites
 When ever porcelain is heated or cooled, the process
must be carried out slowly.
 Rapidly cooling will result in cracking and loss of
strength.
 The accuracy of fit is maintained by building up the
porcelain on a platinum foil which has been closely
adapted to the die.
 Before cementation the platinum foil is removed from
the inner surface of crown to create about 25 um of
space for cementation.
Firing …

Porcelain inlays are rarely constructed

because of firing shrinkage.
This has been changed with the
development of cast able ceramics, the
more widespread availability of
refractory materials on which porcelain
restorations can be manufactured (CAD-
CAM systems).
Glazing
 There will always be some porosity in the
porcelain, with small air voids being exposed
at the surface.
 These will allow the ingress of bacteria and
oral fluids and act as potential sites for the
build-up of plaque.
 To avoid this, the surface is glazed to
produce a smooth, shiny and impervious
outer layer.
Glazing
There are two ways in which this can be
achieved:
Glasses that fuse at low temperatures are
applied to the crown after construction, and
a short period at a relatively low
temperature is sufficient to fuse the glaze.
Final firing of the crown under carefully
controlled conditions fuses the superficial
layer to an impervious surface glaze.