Materials and Techniques for Indirect Restorations
Speaker:
Dr. Nate Lawson, DMD, PhD
CE Credits:
About the Course
According to a report from one of the largest dental laboratories in the United States, 90% of crowns and bridges are now fabricated from a ceramic material. Ceramics do not handle like metal-based restorations, and improper selection or handling can lead to premature failure. This course teaches how to select and handle the ceramic materials currently used in dentistry, cutting through typical marketing rhetoric. Because bonding these materials allows more conservative tooth preparation, and because the range available is broad — zirconia, lithium disilicate, porcelain, processed composite, and others — determining the correct protocol for each can be confusing. This lecture simplifies the process and provides a protocol applicable to any type of dental ceramic, drawing on research conducted at the UAB School of Dentistry.
Educational Objectives
Review the different types of dental ceramic materials
Select an appropriate ceramic material for anterior restorations
Apply preparation and design considerations for posterior crowns and bridges
Learn strategies to adjust, polish, and section ceramic crowns
Review the indications for bonding dental ceramics
Apply a protocol for preparing the ceramic surface
Classify the cements used for adhesive bonding
Your Instructor:
Dr. Nate Lawson, DMD, PhD
Nate Lawson is a tenured professor and the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. He graduated from the UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles along with 200 research abstracts and trade articles on the topics of dental materials and restorative dentistry. He previously served on the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Adhesive Dentistry and the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry. He also practices as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.
Conflict of Interest:
None reported
The TDA is an ADA CERP provider(May 2024 – June 2028)
ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to ADA CERP at ada.org/cerp.
TENNESSEE DENTAL ASSOCIATION
Nationally Approved PACE Program Provider for FAGD/MAGD credit.
Approval does not imply acceptance by
any regulatory authority or AGD endorsement.
4/1/2026 to 3/31/2029.
Provider ID# 219273