Microstructural aspects of the Captek alloy for porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations.

CaptekTM (Precious Chemical USA Inc., Apopka, Florida) is a new, innovative development in dental materials. It is a dental alloy that can be defined as a composite material because it is internally composed of two different alloys. CaptekTM is a high gold content alloy (88% by weight) and is used in porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns and bridges. Composite metals containing metallic matrix and high module of elastic metallic filler can be structured to have better properties than single-component metals.1 Composite combinations exist in traditional dental materials, such as polymers with ceramic particles, glass powders with acid composites (cements), and metallic powders with metal composites (amalgams).2 This study examines the main chemical and physical aspects of CaptekTM microstructure, its composite characteristics and the differences between CaptekTM and traditional gold alloys for similar use.