Why fracture toughness is so important in zirconia and other ceramics

You have most probably come across the term “facture toughness” in your work. But what exactly does it mean? Fracture toughness is a key property of dental materials which is often underestimated by dental professionals. If you expect the materials you use – for example zirconia – to produce long-lasting results, you should always keep this property in mind.We have many zirconia oxide products,3D Pro multilayer，multilayer zirconia，preshaded zirconia，white zirconia，etc.

The ability of a restorative material to withstand fracture is of crucial importance especially in stress-bearing area.

What is fracture toughness?

Fracture toughness – or crack resistance – is a measure that describes the ability of a material with a crack in it to resist further fracture. This measure, therefore, indicates the amount of force that needs to be applied to cause crack extension in, for example, a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic or zirconium oxide. In other words:

The higher the value, the lower will be the probability of the crack spreading in a material.

A high value, therefore, is an indicator of superior clinical long-term performance – and consequently a longer lasting material.

That is why fracture toughness is a clinically significant value. It is expressed as MPa· m1/2.