Materials, explained plainly.
Eight pages on the materials we use — indications, room needed, turnaround and the cases each one suits. Turn the pages with the arrows, the contents list, or your keyboard.
Materials &
indications
What we mill, press and print — and which cases each material is actually for. Written for the chair, not the catalogue.
How to choose
Start from the indication, not the brand name. The table below is the short version of the seven pages that follow.
| If the case is… | Reach for |
|---|---|
| Anterior, high aesthetic, bonded | Lithium disilicate or layered zirconia |
| Posterior, high load, limited room | Monolithic multilayer zirconia |
| A long-span bridge | Zirconia, with a verified framework |
| Implant-borne, screw-retained | Zirconia on titanium, or monolithic |
| Removable, full or partial | Acrylic, milled or heat-cured |
| A long-term provisional | Milled PMMA |
| Aligner or occlusal appliance | PET-G, or printed splint resin |
Zirconia
Multilayer and 4D discs, milled and sintered in-house. The workhorse for posterior strength and full-arch work.
Suits
- Single crowns and bridges, anterior through posterior
- Screw-retained implant crowns and bridges
- Full-arch frameworks and hybrids
- Cases where you want one material from margin to occlusion
What to know
| Typical minimum wall | 0.5 mm |
| Occlusal reduction wanted | 1.0–1.5 mm |
| Turnaround | 5 working days, standard |
Lithium disilicate
IPS e.max, pressed and charactered. The most aesthetic option we offer, and the one that needs the most care at the margin.
Suits
- Veneers, inlays and onlays
- Single-unit anterior crowns
- Bonded, minimally prepared cases
- Where shade and translucency outrank load
What to know
| Typical minimum thickness | 1.0 mm (veneer), 1.5 mm (crown) |
| Turnaround | 6–7 working days |
| Retention | Adhesive — not suitable for short, retentive-poor preparations |
PFM & PFZ
Porcelain fused to metal is still the most forgiving thing to prep, and the easiest to repair. PFZ puts that familiar feel on a zirconia core.
Suits
- Heavy occlusal load, parafunction, bruxism
- Preps with limited reduction and a metal collar you are happy to show
- Bridges where you want a proven framework
- Patients with existing PFM they want matched
What to know
| Metal substructure | 0.3–0.5 mm |
| Porcelain reduction | 1.0–1.5 mm |
| Turnaround | 5–6 working days |
Acrylic & PMMA
The removable side of the lab, and the long-term provisional that implants need while they integrate.
Suits
- Full and partial dentures, including immediate dentures
- Flexible partials where a metal clasp would show
- Milled PMMA provisionals for All-on-X and long-span temps
- Relines and repairs
What to know
| Bases | Heat-cured, milled or printed |
| Teeth | Acrylic, composite, or printed monolithic |
| Turnaround | 5–7 working days; immediate dentures 3–4 |
Titanium & custom abutments
Where the crown meets the fixture. The interface is the part we refuse to improvise — it is milled or printed from the manufacturer's library, never hand-adapted.
Suits
- Custom abutments, straight, angled or hybrid
- Screw-retained crowns and bridges
- Bar overdentures on milled or printed bars
- Zirconia hybrid frameworks with titanium inserts
What to know
| Needed with the case | Implant system, platform, and scan body data |
| Titanium | Milled or SLM-printed, then finished |
| Turnaround | 6–8 working days with abutment |
Resins: aligners & splints
Aligner stages, retainers, night guards, occlusal splints and sleep appliances — printed models and thermoformed or printed appliances.
Suits
- Clear aligner tiers by stage count
- Fixed and removable retainers
- Hard or soft night guards and occlusal splints
- Mandibular advancement devices for sleep cases
What to know
| Send us | Intraoral scan, and the plan or prescription |
| Aligner material | PET-G, thermoformed on printed models |
| Turnaround | 4–6 working days; sleep devices 7 |
Not sure which material the case needs?
Send the scan and a photo through the portal and say what you are trying to achieve. We will recommend a material and price it before anything is milled.