Objective: Ceramic fracture is an undesirable outcome of the rehabilitation with fixed partial dentures (FPD), mainly because it may involve additional cost and clinical time for intraoral repair or replacement of the restoration. This clinical report describes a 5 years survival intraoral repair of a chipped porcelain veneered zirconia framework restoration using a resin-based composite.
Clinical considerations: A FPD of porcelain veneered zirconia was made. After 18 months, the FPD presented a porcelain chip (porcelain fracture without exposure to the zirconia structure) on the buccal side of the pontic. An epoxy resin replica of the fractured surface was obtained and was examined under scanning electron microscopy. Fracture origin was found at the cervical area of the pontic. Intraoral repair by bonding the chipped fragment back in place was performed. After 15 days, the porcelain fragment debonded without patient knowledge and the fragment was lost. Then, intraoral repair using composite resin to restore the fractured area was performed and is still in function to date.
Conclusions: Based on the 5-years survival of the performed intraoral repair, the composite resin reconstruction technique has shown to be an adequate alternative treatment for fractured FPD.
Clinical significance: A resin composite repair of the fracture site can be performed in one clinical session, using much less time and cost than for the replacement of FPD. This clinical case survived 5 years to date.
Keywords: fixed partial denture; fracture; intraoral repair; replica technique; resin composite.
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