A clinical trial of all-ceramic crown restorations: status, fall 1995.

Although porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) restorations are the most widely used full-coverage crown restoration systems, their inherent properties make the achievement of natural aesthetic restorations an elusive task. In contrast, the all-ceramic system (IPS Empress, Ivoclar North America, Amherst, NY) offers excellent translucency and vitality, without the opacity associated with PFM restorations. Its vitality is further enhanced by an adhesive resin cementation method that conducts the color of the underlying tooth structure. This article reports the status of a 5-year investigation, initiated in 1992, of the clinical performance of the IPS Empress all-ceramic system and the resin cementation system used with it.