Dental ceramic article, process of production and use thereof

1. A pre-sintered dental ceramic article comprising ceramic components, the ceramic components comprising ZrO2 and Al2O3 and colouring components comprising ions or oxides of Mn, Er, or mixtures thereof, wherein the pre-sintered dental ceramic article has:

Al2O3: from 0.01 to about 0.12 wt.-%;

Er2O3: from about 0.010 wt.-% to about 1.5 wt.-%;

Pr6O11: from about 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%;

MnO2: from about 0.001 wt.-% to about 0.01 wt.-%; and

Fe2O3: 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%, wherein wt.-% is with respect to the weight of the ceramic article.

2. The dental ceramic article of claim 1 , comprising a stabilizer selected from oxides of Y, Mg, Ca, Ce, La and mixtures thereof.

3. The dental ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic article has the shape of a dental support structure, a dental crown, a dental bridge, a dental facing, an inlay, an inlay, a mill blank, an implant or an abutment.

4. The dental ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the dental ceramic is contained in a frame or a holding device.

5. The dental ceramic article of claim 1 being characterized by at least one of the following features:

density: from about 2.4 to about 3.7 g/cm 3 ; or

porosity: from about 40 to about 60 vol.-%.

6. The dental ceramic article according to claim 1 , wherein the dental ceramic article comprises pores having diameters from about 50 nm to about 150 nm.

7. The dental ceramic article according to claim 1 , wherein Al2O3 is present in an amount below about 0.1 wt.-% with respect to the weight of the ceramic components.

8. A sintered dental ceramic article comprising ceramic components, the ceramic components comprising ZrO2 and Al2O3 and colouring components comprising ions or oxides of Mn, Er, or mixtures thereof, wherein Al2O3 is present in an amount from about 0.01 to about 0.15 wt. % with respect to the weight of the ceramic components and wherein the sintered dental ceramic article has:

ZrO2+HfO2: from about 80 wt.-% to about 98 wt.-%;

Al2O3: from 0.01 to about 0.12 wt.-%;

Er2O3: from about 0.010 wt.-% to about 1.5 wt.-%;

Pr6O11: from about 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%;

MnO2: from about 0.001 wt.-% to about 0.01 wt.-%; and

Fe2O3: 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%,

wherein wt.-% is with respect to the weight of the sintered dental ceramic article and the sintered dental ceramic article has at least one of the following features:

breaking resistance: at least about 400 MPa;

density: from about 5.9 to about 6.1 g/cm 3 or

fluorescence emission in the region of the visible light.

9. A process for producing a dental ceramic article, the process comprising the step of treating a ceramic article with a colouring solution, wherein the ceramic article comprises ZrO2 and Al2O3, and

the colouring solution comprises at least one colouring component comprising ions selected from Er, Mn and mixtures thereof and sintering the treated ceramic article such that the sintered dental ceramic article has:

ZrO2+HfO2: from about 80 wt.-% to about 98 wt.-%;

Al2O3: from 0.01 to about 0.12 wt.-%;

Er2O3: from about 0.010 wt.-% to about 1.5 wt.-%;

Pr6O11: from about 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%;

MnO2: from about 0.001 wt.-% to about 0.01 wt.-%; and

Fe2O3: 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%,

wherein wt.-% is with respect to the weight of the sintered dental ceramic article.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the step of sintering the ceramic article after treatment with the colouring solution is at a temperature within a range from about 1300° C. to about 1550° C., optionally with a dwell time from about 0 to about 10 h.

11. A process for producing a dental ceramic article, the process comprising the steps of mixing at least one colouring component with ceramic components thereby obtaining a mixture, the at least one colouring component comprising ions or oxides selected from Er, Mn and mixtures thereof, the ceramic components comprising ZrO2 and Al2O3,

shaping the mixture to form a ceramic article and optionally sintering the ceramic article

wherein the ceramic article has:

ZrO2+HfO2: from about 80 wt.-% to about 98 wt.-%;

Er2O3: from about 0.010 wt.-% to about 1.5 wt.-%;

Pr6O11: from about 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%;

MnO2: from about 0.001 wt.-% to about 0.01 wt.-%; and

Fe2O3: 0 wt.-% to about 0.1 wt.-%,

wherein wt.-% is with respect to the weight of the dental ceramic article.