Dental News - “We have made something that is truly biomimetic”

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 28. April 2025

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Implant dentist and key opinion leader Dr Marco Tudts is one of the leading minds behind the development of edelweiss dentistry’s Ceramir CAD/CAM block. At the edelweiss stand during IDS 2025, Dr Tudts spoke with Dental Tribune International about the company’s drive to develop a biomimetic block that is gentler on the surrounding natural teeth and less likely to result in the fracture of implants.

Dr Tudts, would you tell us about the idea behind the development of the Ceramir block?
I always knew that CAD/CAM blocks represented the future; however, as an implantologist, I was not satisfied with what was available on the market. As a clinician with my own practice, I only had the choice of zirconia, IPS e.max or composite. Zirconia, at 1,200 MPa, is of course very hard, especially compared with a typical natural tooth, which has a compressive strength of between 300 and 500 MPa. For me, it was very clear that zirconia can grind away natural teeth. I saw proof of this regularly in the clinical environment. However, I felt that the industry was not addressing this issue. IPS e.max lithium disilicate has already been on the market for 20 years and has changed very little in this time. It provides better aesthetics, but it is not strong enough to be used for implant restorations. It can be used in short-span bridges but not in full-arch prostheses. It has a compressive strength of 600 MPa—less than zirconia—but still too hard compared with natural enamel. At the same time, it is important to remember that dental practice has changed greatly since IPS e.max entered the market. So, we decided to take a second look at the materials to see whether we could come up with something more suitable.

So mimicking natural teeth more closely was a key aim?
Firstly, we wanted to achieve ideal aesthetics. Which material offers the most beautiful aesthetics? Feldspathic porcelain is commonly used and favoured by technicians; however, it is brittle. We decided that we wanted to take the best qualities of zirconia and the best qualities of IPS e.max, and we wanted to create something new that would offer dental professionals an alternative which was better than what was on the market. This is how we came to Ceramir.

The edelweiss booth at IDS 2025. (Image: edelweiss)

The edelweiss blocks mimic the natural tooth, having a flexural modulus of 20 GPa, which is similar to dentine, giving them a natural, tooth-like feel. The edelweiss crown is closer to the properties of the natural tooth compared to zirconia or lithium disilicate, giving it biomimetic, minimally invasive properties.

Furthermore, the edelweiss CAD/CAM block is BPA-free, making it fully biocompatible and free of any allergens, unlike other blocks, such as VITA ENAMIC, which carry a risk of potential allergic or adverse gingival reactions due to the presence of resin in their composition.

How have changes in dental practice led to the need for a new material?
When I place dental implants, I want to have a material on top of the implant which is strong enough to survive in the mouth for as long as possible but which also will not break down the natural teeth or the implant itself. In the case of a zirconia implant restoration, for example, the masticatory forces mean that if the zirconia does not break—which it usually won’t because it’s so hard—then something else has to. I have seen many cases where the implant has fractured.

“The block’s flexural strength—which is also a property of natural teeth—makes it unique.”

In terms of the changes in dental practice, it is important to keep in mind that implants originally had a very thick neck. Some years ago, there was a shift from external hex to internal hex. An implant with an internal hex has a very thin neck, and there is a trend in implantology to use these implants because they offer increased aesthetics; however, it is necessary to place this implant at least 1.5–2.0 mm below the bone level. This is because the neck must be protected by bone. But what do we see happening once the implant has been placed and restored with a zirconia crown? Despite the continual masticatory forces, the zirconia will not break. Previously, with the external hex, the screw would break. That was easy to fix because the crown and the broken screw could be easily removed and replaced without high cost for the patient. For an implant with an internal connection, the abutment goes inside this thin-necked implant. If there is some bone resorption, the neck becomes superficial and what happens? The thin neck has a tendency to break. The patient and the treating dentist then have a problem because the broken implant needs to be removed, the bone needs to be rebuilt and a new implant needs to be placed. This is also hugely costly for the patient. By developing this block, we first and foremost aimed to remedy this problem.

Are you satisfied with the results?
For me, the most important characteristic of the new block is that it blends in the mouth like natural dentine. The block’s flexural strength—which is also a property of natural teeth—makes it unique, as does its ability to provide a solution suited to modern implantology.

The Ceramir block was launched at IDS 2023. What feedback have you had so far?
While that is true, it is important to note that we have now been doing testing and studies on the material for six years. This is necessary when bringing a new product to the market in order to gain the necessary and strict approvals required for market authorisation. We have had excellent feedback from the very beginning. Now, two years later, the high level of curiosity expressed by the market has turned into genuine interest owing, I think, to the volume of cases and documentation that has been generated. We have seen the same good results repeated in clinical settings at universities—at Saveetha Dental College in India, for example, which is ranked eighth in the world in the 2024 SCImago Institutions Rankings. Researchers at the university did the tests and helped us to prove that the block is unique and possesses the qualities we aimed to fulfil.

The edelweiss blocks mimic the natural tooth. (Image: edelweiss)

What has the response been so far at this year’s IDS?
Companies from around the world are coming to the booth and asking whether they can include the block in their libraries. This is because their customers, including both dentists and dental technicians, are requesting it.

Are there any additional advantages that you would like to point out?
Something that is important for dentists to know is that using the block in their practice will result in significant time- and cost-savings. Let me give you an example: the time needed to digitally prepare six crowns from Ceramir CAD/CAM blocks, from the initial preparation to placement of the crowns, is just 2 hours. The reason for this is that we have made a block that does not need to undergo sintering, unlike IPS e.max or zirconia. We also avoided monomers, and thereby also potential allergens, and have achieved the flexural strength of a natural tooth. We can say that we have made something that is truly biomimetic. Some of the biggest laboratories in Germany, for example MDH dental laboratory, have already changed from using IPS e.max to our block, and we feel that this is among the best feedback that we can get as a manufacturer.

Editorial note:

More information can be found at www.edelweissdentistry.com.