Slip-cast zirconia dental roots with tunnels drilled by laser process.

Zirconia was used in this study for implant dental roots because of its superior properties over other materials used as dental roots in mechanical strength, toughness, workability, and biocompatibility. Zirconia blades were formed by the slip casting method and tunnels were drilled in the laser processing. The results indicate that (1) the slip casting method has made it possible to form a complicated artificial dental root with an accurate shape and size; (2) the zirconia blade has adequate strength in occlusion; (3) the neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser machine can drill many tunnels of the same size in diameter by using it repeatedly under the same conditions of power, pulse width, and focus; (4) zirconia is a recommended material for laser processing from the standpoint of toughness and less heat conductivity; and (5) the opacity of zirconia to x-ray penetration presents better observation during and after implantation than other ceramics.