![]() Put simply, it’s brittle, and the pieces that flake off have a uniform, ultra-sharp edge. ![]() The lack of crystal formation results in a material that is significantly isotropic and homogenous - qualities that generate benefits for which ancient peoples prized obsidian. The nature of the lava, being both viscous and polymerized, prevents the diffusion of atoms during cooling, leaving behind a glass ceramic that’s unable to form a crystalline structure. Obsidian is formed by the rapid cooling of silicate-rich lava. In Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia and the Americas, ancient peoples used the material for tools, weapons and decoration, and in bartering, long before the advent of metallurgy. 7 There, researchers found caches of obsidian blades and discs, and even an ornately decorated chalice. ![]() at a site called Tell Brak in Mesopotamia, which is reportedly one of the world’s first cities. 6 The first attested urban use occurred in the fifth millennium B.C. With an average flexural strength five times that of conventional ceramics, 3 Obsidian is a reimagining of proven restorative technology.Īrcheologists suggest that volcanic obsidian was used by cultures around the world, with scholars finding evidence of use as far back as 700,000 B.C. Some of these indications include: bridge cases that lack the vertical dimension necessary for zirconia connectors cases where the restoration must match PFMs located on the proximal teeth and restoring endontically treated teeth that have crown or root staining that would bleed dark shadows through all-ceramic restorations.Įnter Obsidian lithium silicate ceramic, a natural-looking, state-of-the-art ceramic material that can be pressed to a metal coping to create the strongest and most esthetic PFM. Though the data found by major research organizations and countless clinical successes have proven the benefits of monolithic zirconia, 1, 2 there are still a limited number of indications for which zirconia is not the most ideal restorative material. Some have asked us at Glidewell Laboratories why we - the championing lab behind the monolithic revolution and BruxZir ® Solid Zirconia - would take a seemingly backward step and tell them to start prescribing PFMs again. And ultimately, it could be possible to 3D print reinforced obsidian or something even better.Clinicians across the United States have been intrigued about the release of Obsidian ® Fused to Metal. And with AI, they could be robotically napped (though that will only raise the price – with low quantities, building a “flint-napping” robot with AI software would cost more to build than building a human). With more interest pushing more experimentation, perhaps a way to reinforce them will be invented. No doubt as interest in obsidian scalpels increases, there will be more research in design and manufacture, and the best design(s) become standard. What would happen with something sharp in the body that couldn’t be enveloped in scar tissue? Hopefully more research will be performed, including on how to monitor for breakage, and find and retrieve them. Indeed, I’m kinda curious what an ultra-sharp obsidian edge would do if left in, since the finest obsidian edges supposedly don’t leave scars. It’s not a matter of if it will happen, but how often. ![]() Even the cheapest steel blade is unlikely to break even if a surgeon tried to do it. Still, even at the same price point, they are available with what appears to be a more stable design.īut you’ve got a good point.
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