Statement of problem. Densely sintered aluminum oxide veneered with feldspa
thic porcelain seems to be a promising technology for the fabrication of po
rcelain laminate veneers, which provide both strength and esthetics. To eff
ectively use this approach for porcelain veneers, practitioners should know
how the resulting color is affected by adding a layer of veneering porcela
in onto the aluminum oxide.
Purpose. This study compared changes in CIE L*a*b* color coordinates of sim
ulated stained teeth when covered with the aluminum oxide core disks alone
and after the disks had been veneered with 3 different shades of porcelain.
Material and methods. Fifteen aluminum oxide disks were divided into 3 grou
ps. Each of 5 disks was veneered with porcelain of the Vita shades Al, A2,
and B4, respectively. The colors of the substrate covered with the nonvenee
red disks and the veneered disks were measured separately, and the color di
fferences were calculated. Measurements of the disks on a white background
were also performed and used as controls. The extracted data were compared
with Vita shade values available from the literature.
Results. Statistically significant differences in color coordinates of dark
substrates were recorded between the substrate covered by an aluminum oxid
e disk and the addition of veneering porcelain to the aluminum oxide disks.
Veneering the aluminum oxide disks with A1, A2, and B4 porcelain produced
significant differences in the resulting color when placed on a dark substr
ate. The direction of the color modifications correlated with values obtain
ed from the literature. The resulting color was also affected by the color
of the underlying structures.
Conclusion. Although aluminum oxide alone does have a degree of masking cap
ability, the resulting color of porcelain veneers with the use of this mate
rial carl successfully be modified with the veneering porcelain.