What is oxyapatite?

IPS Style is an innovative patented dental ceramic that contains oxyapatite. This is the first dental ceramic and by extension the first metal ceramic ever to incorporate oxyapatite crystals. Until recently, crystals such as leucite or fluorapatite have mainly been used in the formulation of metal-ceramic materials. These crystals are also contained in IPS Style to form a mixed glass-ceramic. The combination of these different types of crystals gives this metal-ceramic its unique characteristics.

But why use this new formulation? What are oxyapatite crystals useful for? What makes them special?

Oxyapatite crystals reflect a high amount of incident light. This creates a depth effect. They are contained in all the shaded components of the IPS Style assortment. The oxyapatite content varies from opaquer to incisal materials. This allows the translucency or opacity to be controlled as needed.

Why does IPS Style combine leucite, fluorapatite and oxyapatite?

The tailored formulation of IPS Style containing leucite, fluorapatite and oxyapatite crystals and the coordinated glass phases impart this low-fusing metal-ceramic with unique handling and optical properties. The crystalline leucite provides the material with controlled expansion characteristics and strength. The fine needle-like fluorapatite lends a natural basic brightness, vitality and expression to the restoration: it scatters and reflects incident light diffusely, creating a high degree of brightness.

This newly developed crystal architecture scatters light in all directions and reflects it diffusely. As a result, the opaquer is included in the shade and light management of the layering ceramic. The material's excellent inherent brightness results in restorations that look natural in their oral settings.

What is IPS Style?

IPS Style is a metal-ceramic material designed to offer dental labs maximum efficiency, easy handling and true-to-nature esthetics. IPS Style is indicated for the classic CTE range and comprises materials for single-layer and multi-layer techniques. Customization is achieved with the universal stains and glazes of the IPS Ivocolor assortment.

Landing page: https://blog.ivoclarvivadent.com/lab/en/product-ips-style

1. Crystalline leucite: controlled expansion and strength (8200x magnification)

2. Fine needle-like fluorapatite: natural inherent brightness, vitality and expression (10,000x magnification)

3. Needle-like oxyapatite: controlled adaptation of translucency and opacity (10,000x magnification)

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