Needle-like apatite-leucite glass-ceramic as a base material for the veneering of metal restorations in dentistry.

A needle-like apatite-leucite glass-ceramic was prepared in the SiO2-Al2O3-Na2O-K2O-P2O5-F system. Nucleation and crystallization processes were studied in bulk and powdered samples. The crystallization of leucite follows the mechanism of surface crystallization. After the precipitation of NaCaPO4 crystals and another unknown crystal phase, the formation of needle-like apatite is based on a volume nucleation and crystallization process. The mechanism of the formation of needle-like apatite differs to those of apatite precipitation in glass-ceramics. The morphology of needle-like apatite is comparable to that of apatite in natural teeth. The properties of the glass-ceramic, especially the good chemical durability, the optical properties, as well as mechanical and thermal properties allow glass-ceramic to be used as a main component in a bio-material for the veneering of metal restorations in dentistry. Copyright 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers