Prismatik ThinPress

Ceramic
Technique Manual
Reference Guide
Dental Technology
Written support material for video training programs
Copyright 2006, Prismatik Dentalcraft, Inc. Prismatik Dentalcraft, Inc. is not responsible for any damages or other liabilities (including
attorney fees) resulting, or claimed to result in whole or in part, from actual or alleged problems arising out of the use of this informa-
tion. The techniques, procedures and theories presented herein are provided in good faith and believed to be correct as of the date here-
of. Any dental professional viewing this presentation must make his or her own decisions about the use of the materials and techniques
for specific situations.
No representations as to the completeness or accuracy of this information is given, and no representations or warranties, either expressed
or implied, of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or of any other nature are made hereunder with respect to the information
or the product to which information refers.

Chapter 1 Understanding the Prismatik ThinPress Ceramic System
ThinPress Pre-Blended Ingots........................................................................... 1
Correction Powders
Opal Incisal Layering Powders
Stain and Glaze Powders............................................................................. 2
Universal Stain and Glaze Liquid
Universal Build-Up and Opaque Liquid
Prismatik ThinPress Ceramic Kits................................................................. 3
ThinPress Pressing Schedule............................................................................. 4
ThinPress Firing Chart
ThinPress Shade Indicator................................................................................. 5
Chapter 2 ThinPress Techniques
ThinPress Veneers.............................................................................................. 7
Model Preparation Technique ........................................................................... 9
Block-Out Technique ....................................................................................... 10
Wax-Up Technique
Spruing Technique........................................................................................... 13
Investing Technique......................................................................................... 14
Burnout and Pressing Technique.............................................................. 15
Divesting Technique .................................................................................. 16
Finishing Technique......................................................................................... 17
Staining and Glazing Technique...................................................................... 19
Correction Powders.......................................................................................... 22
Layering Powders
Identifying Ideal ThinPress Cases ................................................................... 24
Handling No-Prep Veneers .............................................................................. 29
Troubleshooting Guide ........................................................................... 30
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1
Chapter 1 Understanding the Prismatik ThinPress
Ceramic System
ThinPress Pre-Blended Ingots
Correction Powders
ThinPress ceramic ingots were designed accord-
ing to specific opacity/translucency ratios to
provide natural-looking no-prep veneer results.
ThinPress comes in 10 unique shades that corre-
spond to the Vita Lumin most popular bleach
shade guides. Over 80% of the prescribed
shades for veneers are covered. The ingots
weigh 2 grams, are 11mm in diameter and can
be pressed as thin as 0.3mm. ThinPress ceramic has a flexural strength of 167 MPa
(16MPa). Due to the fine grain leucite crystals, ThinPress exhibits less wear on
the opposing dentition.
ThinPress correction powders are available in 7
shades, and are specially formulated to contain
the same level of chroma as the pre-blended
ingots. These powders are utilized when repair-
ing voids and margins, adding contacts, or modi-
fying the veneers contour.
ThinPress layering powders were specially for-
mulated to provide incisal translucency and/or
halo characterization to the veneers. The layer-
ing powders contain opalescent particles that
refract, reflect and scatter light, resulting in a
restoration that blends with natural dentition.
These powders come in Blue, Clear, and
Blue/White.
Opal Incisal Layering Powders
2
Universal Stain
and Glaze Liquid
Prismatik universal stain and glaze liquid
is available in a 60ml bottle.
This liquid is available for purchase in 60ml,
8oz. or 16oz. bottles.
Universal Build-Up
and Opaque Liquids
Prismatik stain powders are provided in A, B, C,
D, Blue, White, Crme, Violet, Pink, Dark
Brown and Yellow/Orange hues. The fine parti-
cle size of the stain powders mix to a smooth
consistency, ensuring easy application without
streaking. The Prismatik glaze powder is a uni-
versal glaze, allowing coefficient compatibility
with all components of the Prismatik Ceramic
System.
Stain and Glaze Powders
3
Prismatik ThinPress Ceramic Kits
Starter Kit Trial Kit
Stain Kit
8 - Tubes of 5 x 2g each of pre-blended
Ingots (TP1 - TP8)
5 - 10g bottles of Correction Powder,
Body (CP1 - CP5)
3 - 10g bottles of Layering Powder,
Opal Incisal (Blue, Clear,
Blue/White)
7 - 4g Stain Powder (A, B, C,
D, Blue, White, Pink)
1 - 4g Glaze Powder
1 - 60ml Universal Stain & Glaze Liquid
1 - 60ml Build-up Liquid
3 - Tubes of 5 x 2g each of pre-blended
Ingots (TP1, TP3, TP5)
1 - 10g bottles of Layering Powder,
Opal Incisal (Blue/White)
2 - 10g bottles of Correction Powder,
Body (CP1, CP2)
4 - 4g Stain Powder (A, B,
Blue, White)
1 - 4g Glaze Powder
1 - 60ml Universal Stain & Glaze Liquid
1 - 60ml Build-up Liquid
11 - 4g Stain Powders (Blue, White,
Crme, Violet, Pink, Dark Brown,
Yellow/Orange, Stain A, Stain B,
Stain C, Stain D)
4
Pressing Schedule
Whip Mix
ProPress 100
Entry Temp.
700C
1292F
Heat Rate
60C/min
108F/min
Final Temp
985C
1805F
Hold Time 15 mins
Press Time 20 mins
Cool Time 0
Pressure 4 bars
Pressing Schedule
Ivoclar
EP600 / EP500
Initial Temp. (B)
700C
1292F
Heat Rate (t )
60C/min
108F/min
Hold Time (H) 20 mins
Stop Speed (E) 100 m/min
Final Temp. (T)
985C
1805F
Pressure 5 bars
Firing Schedule Glaze
Layering &
Correction
Powders
Low Temp.
403C
757F
403C
757F
Pre-Dry Time 4 mins 4 mins
Heat Rate
55C/min
100F/min
55C/min
100F/min
Vac Level N/A Full
Vac Start
403C
757F
403C
757F
Vac Release
790C
1454F
790C
1454F
High Temp.
790C
1454F
790C
1454F
Hold Time 30 sec. 45 sec.
Cool Time 0 1 min
Pressing Schedule
Firing Chart
Please note that the
pressing and firing
parameters are rec-
ommended starting
values and may need
to be adjusted to
account for variations
from furnace to fur-
nace.
If adjustments to tem-
perature are neces-
sary, do not exceed
1000C.
The pressing parame-
ters are designed for
use with 200g rings.
*
*
*
5
Shade Indicator
Prismatik ThinPress Ingots
CP1 CP2 CP3 CP4 CP5 CP6 CP7
Bleach
A1, B1,
A2, B2
A3,
A3.5, A4
C1, C2 D2, D3 B3, B4
C3, C4,
D4
Thickness
Corresponding
Shades
Correction
Body Shades
Corresponding
Shades
Correction Powders
* Thin used for pressings as thin as 0.3mm - 0.5mm, no prep or minimal prep.
(Note - TP1, TP3, TP5, are used to maximize opacity and block out dark
underlying tooth shades)
* Thick used for pressings thicker than 0.6mm, ideal veneer prep or full
crown prep.
(Note - TP2, TP4, TP6, TP7, TP8, TP9, TP10 contain more translucency)
ThinPress Shades
Corresponding
Shades
Thickness
TP1 TP2 TP3 TP4 TP5
0.3 - 0.5 Thick or Thin 0.3 - 0.5 Thick or Thin 0.3 - 0.5
Bleach
ex: 010, OM1,
OM2, OM3,
NW0, NW0.5,
B0, i 1-i 8
Bleach
ex: A0, 020,
030, NW0,
NW0.5, BO,
OM2, OM3, XL
A1, A2 A3, A3.5, A4 B1, B2
TP6 TP7 TP8 TP9 TP10
Thick or Thin Thick or Thin Thick or Thin Thick or Thin Thick or Thin
C1, C2, 040 D2, D3 A1, A2, B1, B2 B3, B4 C3, C4, D4
ThinPress Shades

ThinPress Veneers
Cosmetic dental restorations are rapidly becoming the most frequently prescribed
restoration in laboratories today. Porcelain laminate veneers are one type of cos-
metic restoration that has enjoyed great success in the past. This is due to the fact
that it requires minimal reduction by the dentist and it is highly esthetic when
placed in the mouth.
Chapter 2 ThinPress Techniques
No-Prep
7
8
ThinPress veneers are the next plateau in providing the dentist and patient with a
restoration that is even more esthetic while requiring minimal to no tooth prepara-
tion. This manual will provide you with the knowledge necessary to fabricate
ThinPress Veneers.
No-Prep ThinPress Veneers
Prep
Minimal Prep
9
Examine the model closely for all undercuts or
voids. Lightly outline the undercut areas to be
blocked out with a soft red lead pencil.
Pour the master impression with an improved
die stone material, trim the base, pour the
opposing and articulate the models as you
would normally.
Model Preparation Technique
Carefully remove bulk stone material from
around the margins with a #8 round bur or a
carbide bur.
Deep interproximal areas require removal of the
remaining bulk with a bard parker and a sharp
#15 blade.
10
Eliminate all undercuts by applying block-out
wax to any areas that require it.
Mark the margins with a soft red lead pencil and
apply die hardener to the teeth. The die harden-
er will seal the blockout wax and the marked
margins. Extend the hardener approximately
1mm to 2mm beyond the margins.
An important step in the fabrication of ThinPress Veneers is complete block-out of
all undercut areas. Even the smallest undercut could prevent the wax-up from sep-
arating cleanly from the model.
Block-Out Technique
Die spacer can be utilized in areas where mini-
mal or no preparation presents sharp line
angles. Incisal edges and mesial/distal line
angles are common areas.
Wax-up Technique
Apply a thin layer of die lube.
Begin hand-waxing the ThinPress veneers to full
contour.
Gingival, mesial and distal areas may require at
least four to five tenths of a millimeter or the
waxed veneer will break upon removal from the
model.
Contour the interproximal and incisal edge of
the veneer wax-up into desired arch alignment.
11
12
Cut in the interproximal area to separate each
veneer for easier removal and to create a hair-
line distance between each contact. This space is
needed to compensate for the pressed ceramic
expansion.
Carefully remove the veneer from the master
model to ensure that it will release easily during
the spruing procedures.
If a waxed veneer does not release easily,
remove then reapply an additional coat of die
lube to the area and rewax it.
Remove the veneer in a facial direction so you
do not distort the wax-up or experience open
margins and reseat completely.
13 13
Add a bead of wax down the facial aspect of
any veneer that presents a gingival thickness
below 0.5mm. This decreases the chances of an
incomplete pressing.
When attaching sprues for investing, always
keep the sprue length at 8mm.
Spruing Technique
Ensure that the ThinPress wax-up is no thinner
than three tenths of a millimeter on labial areas
that require minimum thickness.
Melt a small amount of sticky wax and apply it
to the end of a #10 gauge sprue. Attach the
sprue to the incisal third of the wax-up. Avoid
spruing to the thinnest area.
14
For larger pressings use a #8 gauge sprue.
The facial of the waxed veneers should angle
toward the center of the ring with the margins
directed toward the outer walls.
Prior to investing, wax the shade on the sprue
former to ensure that the correct shade will be
pressed.
Investing Technique
Follow the manufacturers suggested instructions
for investing procedures. Allow investment to set
completely.
15
Place the investment ring into a burnout oven
and set the burnout oven time and temperatures
according to the investment manufacturers
instructions.
Warning: Do not include the ingots and the
plunger in the burnout oven.
Burnout and Pressing
Technique
Bring the temperature up to the manufacturer's
instructions and hold for 45 minutes for one
ring. For additional rings, add 10 minutes hold
time for each ring.
Remove the investment ring from the burnout
oven, and quickly place the required number of
ThinPress ingots into the sprue hole (1 ingot per
3 no-prep veneers or 1 ingot per 2 prepped
veneers), then place the plunger into the sprue
hole.
Quickly place the investment ring in the press-
ing furnace and start the pressing cycle.
16
Warning: After divestment, keep the veneer wet
by constantly dipping it in water. Failure to do
this will create heat-generated fractures.
Allow the pressed investment ring to cool until
it is completely cool to the touch.
Sandblast the investment with 25 micron glass
beads to eliminate all investment from the
veneers.
Divesting Technique
Carefully remove the top 1/3 of the invest-
ment ring using a cutting disc.
17
Dip the veneer in water and reduce the sprue
ending with a 145 HP Meisinger gray stone and
bring into anatomical contour with the surface
of the pressed veneer.
Dip the ThinPress veneers into water and
remove each veneer from the sprue button with
a medium grit diamond disc.
Finishing Technique
Check the inside of the veneer with magnifying
loops to determine whether there are minute
bubbles that might prevent the veneer from
completely seating.
Place the veneers one by one on each respective
die to check for missing margins, tight or loose
contacts or poor fit.
18
To achieve ideal surface anatomy such as accen-
tuating developmental grooves, use an SHP
Donut 035 Bur.
If contacts are missing, they may be added using
correction powders during glaze or corrective
bake.
If the contacts are tight, use a porcelain wheel
such as a Brasseler DiaLite Wheel, which mini-
mizes heat generation. Dip veneer in water and
lightly reduce the contact area until the contact
seats in place.
Once the veneer has been firmly seated, check
the contact areas for tight or missing contacts.
19
Achieve final contour and smooth all areas that
were adjusted with a fine diamond #707.
Carefully sandblast all surfaces with 50
micron aluminum oxide at a pressure below
60psi to remove surface contaminants and
prepare surface for glazing.
Use the given stump or tooth shade to make a
stump stick for shading. Composite resins are a
great option for fabricating stump sticks.
Mix the stain and glaze powders with the uni-
versal stain & glaze liquid.
Staining and Glazing
Technique
20
Examine the shade alongside the requested
shade tab to determine if staining is indicated.
If a shade discrepancy exists, use Prismatik
stain powders to duplicate the shade tab.
Fire the veneers in compliance with the temper-
atures and times (see page 4) provided.
Allow the veneers to dry for at least 4 minutes.
21
Visually inspect that all aspects are correct. If
any corrections were done, double check to
make sure that they were done in a satisfactory
manner.
The ThinPress Veneers are now ready to be de-
livered to the dentist.
Etch the veneers with a ceramic etching gel fol-
lowing manufacturers instructions. Make sure
the etchant covers the entire internal aspect of
the veneers.
The veneers are ready to be etched. Warning:
Always wear a face mask and rubber gloves
when using acid in any form. Etching material
contains an acid.
Wax veneer to full contour and press.
In cases that present adequate space, or in situa-
tions that require incisal translucency and/or
halo characterization, the Prismatik ThinPress
system allows the layering technique to be uti-
lized.
Layering Powders
22
Situations such as open contacts, areas chipped
during divesting or finishing, and areas that are
under-contoured can be repaired using the
ThinPress Correction Powders.
Correction Powders
These correction powders are formulated to
blend in with each shade of ThinPress ingots
(see page 5).
23
After seating, use a Brasseler DiaLite Wheel to
cut-back the incisal of the veneer.
Create the desired cut-back and sandblast
the surface using 50 micron aluminum oxide
at 50psi.
Mix the desired ThinPress layering powder with
build-up liquid and layer the incisal contour.
Bake using proper firing parameters
(see page 4).
Finish and prepare for stain and glaze. Notice
the incisal characteristics on the final restoration.
Bleaching the teeth before treatment is recom-
mended, or the dentist can use opaque bonding
cements during seating to block out dark colors.
The lighter the desired shade, the more opaque
the veneers must be to hide the underlying
tooth color.
24
We should always ask the dentist for the exist-
ing tooth shade (stump or preparation shades)
in order to provide the patient with the desired
final shade.
Many patients would like to have the perfect
golden proportions with bleach shades for a
Hollywood smile.
Due to ThinPress' ability to be pressed at
0.3mm, it can be difficult to mask out very dark
substructures. If the desired shade is more than
three shades lighter, preparation of the tooth
will be needed to prevent show-through.
As technicians, we need better communication with our dentist clients in order to
achieve esthetically and functionally pleasing restorations for patients.
Identifying Ideal ThinPress Cases
It is recommended to prepare bulky areas that
have undercuts or to disc down mesial and dis-
tal line angles to provide a more ideal arch
alignment.
It is always a good idea to know if a patient is
male or female in order to achieve better esthet-
ics. There's no way to tell, at a glance, which
teeth belong to a male and which ones belong
to a female.
However, in general, the features of a woman's
teeth are more rounded and delicate than those
of a man. When a dentist requests a feminine
look, make sure there is mesial inclination and
that the teeth are more narrow with rounded
incisals.
When a masculine look is requested, make the
teeth more broad with square incisal edges hav-
ing slight mesial inclination.
25
26
In more severe cases, more preparation
is required.
Areas such as Class 5 lesions with receding gum
lines would ideally be corrected with composite
before taking the impressions.
Slight tooth rotation can be corrected with
ThinPress veneers, but occasionally a very light
preparation to the tooth surface may be needed
to bring the teeth into alignment.
Teeth that are broken should be built up with
composite chairside by the dentist to correct the
defect.
Following the tooth form often creates a reverse
taper that prevents insertion.
Make sure there is adequate centric, protrusive
and lateral excursive clearance when designing
your case.
Many times minimal preparation creates margins
that wrap into the interproximals, causing
undercuts.
Small black triangles can be corrected with
ThinPress veneers.
27
Diastema closures are possible with Thin-
Press veneers.
28
Embrasures that are too big cannot be corrected.
Dentists would need to close the black triangles
with composite.
It would be necessary to overextend the margin
if the embrasure is too deep.
No-prep veneers must be handled differently than traditional, thicker veneers. Any
finger pressure applied to the veneers must be light and gentle. Occlusal adjust-
ments should not be made on the veneers prior to bonding.
If the diastema is too severe, or creates under-
cuts, the dentist may need to use composite to
close areas of undercuts, such as gingival embra-
sures and contours that prevent path of inser-
tion.
29
Handling No-Prep Veneers
30
Troubleshooting Guide
PROBLEM KNOWN CAUSES SOLUTIONS
Incomplete
pressing of
veneer.
Incorrect pressing
and/or holding time.
Incorrect pressure.
Sprue size is too
narrow and/or too long.
Proper sprue angle is
not followed.
Wax-up is too thin.
Verify recommended parame-
ters, accuracy of pressing unit.
Calibrate as necessary.
Increase the pressing time
and/or hold time in conjuction
with reducing the pressure.
Follow spruing guidelines.
Follow minimum thickness
guidelines.
Under-glazed,
or dull, rough
surface.
First glaze was under-
fired.
Glaze coat applied too
thin.
Follow recommended firing
temperatures, ensure furnace is
properly calibrated.
Increase final temperature no
more then 3-5 degrees at a time.
Apply even, uniform coat of
properly mixed glaze.
Crack or frac-
ture in veneer.
Excessive grinding
speed and/or pressure.
Not keeping veneer
wet during finishing.
Sharp line angles in
preparation.
Grinding veneer while
on the model.
Use light pressure and slow
speeds when finishing; avoid
using coarse diamonds or
stones.
Keep veneer wet during
grinding.
Block out any sharp line angles
with die spacer if possible.
Do not finish veneer on the
model.
31
PROBLEM KNOWN CAUSES SOLUTIONS
Bubbles dur-
ing glaze.
Entering oven too
quickly before cycle
began.
Glaze coat applied too
thick.
Vacuum was pulled
during glaze cycle.
Veneers not properly
sandblasted on surface.
Use recommended procedure
for drying and heating at initia-
tion of glaze cycle.
Apply even, uniform coat of
properly mixed glaze.
Vacuum not necessary when
glazing.
Properly clean suface before
glazing.
Flashing of
material after
pressing.
Incorrect pressing
and/or holding time.
Incorrect pressure.
Investment protocol
not followed.
Verify recommended parame-
ters, accuracy of pressing unit.
Calibrate as necessary.
Increase pressing time in
conjunction with lowering pres-
sure until flashing is eliminated.
Follow manufacturer's recom-
mendations regarding bench
setting time, entry temperature
of burnout furnace.
Veneer is too
monochro-
matic.
Opacous properties
necessary to achieve
desired shade make
incisal not translucent
enough.
Cut back incisal of veneer and
layer Prismatik ThinPress incisal
layering powders to achieve
desired translucency.
If cut-back is not possible,
proper use of staining to repli
cate incisal translucency is next
best option.
Underlying
shade bleeds
through.
Dark stump shade.
Using an incorrect
shade of ingot.
Confirm that the prescribed
ingot shade is being used.
Note: Shade changes of more
than three shades may not be
attainable without preparation to
allow for ideal thickness of the
veneer material (more than
0.8mm).
01-1544-0506