Zolid Bion: Amann Girrbach Brings new zirconia to market

Amann Girrbach

Tue. 8. August 2023

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KOBLACH, Austria: Amann Girrbach has released a new material after 15 years of zirconia development work. Zolid Bion is a high-performance zirconia that optimises the aesthetics and natural appearance of restorations without compromising on safety. It is the first zirconia in its class to offer the advantage of the sintering of crowns in just 45 minutes.

Zirconia is the CAD/CAM material par excellence and an indispensable part of routines in dental practices and laboratories. For almost two years, so-called 3D zirconia has been increasingly appearing on the market, offering numerous advantages, particularly with regard to aesthetics in the area of the incisal edge, but often requiring dental professionals to make compromises in the interests of safety. The launch of Zolid Bion by Amann Girrbach effectively unifies aesthetics and safety.

Melanie Röschmann, director of Amann Girrbach’s global consumables business unit, commented: “This further improves workflow for users. Zolid Bion is based on 15 years of zirconia development work in Austria and is more versatile than any other material. We are proud to offer users a real game-changer with this innovative zirconia.”

Zolid Bion zirconia is characterised by a smooth colour gradient and increased translucency in the incisal area, giving restorations an even more natural appearance. The zirconia is also available in 16 VITA shades and two bleach variants as well as in different blank heights.

The raw materials used provide more safety

Thanks to the raw materials used, Zolid Bion guarantees a strength of 1,100 MPa ± 150 MPa over the entire cross section of the blank. Röschmann explained: “In terms of planning and application, this means absolute freedom and safety. For restorations such as minimally invasive veneers, monolithic anterior crowns and long-span bridges on implants, users no longer have to choose between different materials and can cover a wide range of indications with Zolid Bion.”

Zolid Bion zirconia is characterised by a smooth colour gradient and increased translucency and is available in 16 Vita shades, two Bleach variants as well as in different blank heights. (Image: Amann Girrbach)

She added: “Additional safety is also provided by the new acrylic frame, which is now featured throughout the entire Zolid portfolio. This can prevent unsightly chipping and fractures, and it ensures safe handling during milling—in all milling systems.” The topic of safety is rounded off by the comprehensive ten-year warranty coverage on all Zolid materials.

Sintering of Zolid Bion crowns in 45 minutes

Amann Girrbach covers the entire dental workflow with its products and services. The company develops innovative materials and sintering furnaces for zirconia and sintered metal restorations. The latest product in this category is the Therm DRS high-speed furnace, and Röschmann says that its innovative design allows extremely fast sintering cycles. “Crowns made of Zolid Bion can thus be sintered in just 45 minutes and without any sacrifice in terms of aesthetics or safety. Zolid Bion is the first material in its class to achieve such speeds.” Röschmann emphasised.

To rule out the possibility of high-speed sintering having any negative impact on material properties, the company collaborated closely in its development of the Therm DRS with the renowned Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität of Munich in Germany. Joint in vitro studies were carried out, all of which showed very positive outcomes. “The studies show that high-speed sintering leads to high mechanical strength, high fatigue strength and long-term stability. In addition, no significant influence of ageing when compared with conventional sintering could be ascertained. This allows extremely efficient processing for the user, especially for small restorations, and makes everyday laboratory work and practice much easier over the long term,” Röschmann stated.