Effect of Different Cement Colors on the Final Color of Ips Empress Ceramic Restorations

In this study, the effects of the color of different post-core materials and different colored cements on the color and esthetic of all-ceramic restorations were investigated. Three groups of post-cores (ceramic, Cr-Ni and Cr-Ni + opaque), one sample per each group, were prepared as discs 14 ± 0.05 mm in diameter and 1.5 ± 0.05 mm in thickness. A total of 40 cement samples, 10 per each group (opaque white, white, yellow and brown) were prepared as discs 14 ± 0.05 mm in diameter and 0.1± 0.01 mm in thickness. Two samples of dental ceramics, 1 per each group (IPS Empress and IPS Empress 2), were prepared as discs in similar dimensions. The effect of different cement colors was evaluated on the fi nal color of IPS Empress restorations. In each group, while one post-core material and one all-ceramic material remained constant, 10 cement specimens which prepared from four different cement colors were studied. Bovine dentin was placed instead of post-core material as a control sample and colorimetric measurements were made. The color confi gurations were assessed with a colorimeter for each group. In the evaluation of cement colors, for IPS Empress system, when only ceramic post-core material was used, white, yellow and brown cements were found to be clinically acceptable (ΔE<1). For IPS Empress 2 system, all colors for ceramic and Cr-Ni + opaque post-core were clinically acceptable but only opaque white cement for Cr-Ni post-core were found to be acceptable clinically (ΔE<2). When ceramic post-core material was used, white, yellow and brown cements were more appropriate clinically than opaque white cement. TABLE 1 The types of materials used in this study All ceramic material IPS Empress Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein IPS Empress 2 Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein Post-core materials Ceramic Post (IPS Empress Cosmo Ingot C) Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein Chromium–Nickel Kera-N, Eisen Bacher, Obernburg, Germany Ceramic opaque sintered on the Cr-Ni Kera-N, Eisen Bacher, Obernburg, Germany Resin cements Variolink II opaque white Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein Variolink II white Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein Variolink II yellow Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein Variolink II Brown Ivoclar, Schaan, Liechtenstein