The joint is the restoration

Walk a crown onto #19 (or the #3 prep) the way clinic actually does it. Three protocols: zirconia lute or MDP resin, lithium disilicate adhesive bond, and a classic metal lute. The 3D is the same case; the chemistry is not.

Protocol

Zirconia is a polycrystalline ceramic. It does not etch with HF. You either lute it (RMGI) or bond it with an MDP primer and resin. Saliva phosphates poison the surface — that is the remake nobody wants.

Step 1 · Try-in, dry

Try-in, dry

In the mouth

Seat with finger pressure. Check proximal contacts, margin, and occlusion. Do not grind on a contaminated zirconia intaglio if you still intend to bond.

From the lab

Contacts were set in CAD and verified on the model. If a contact is bulletproof in the mouth, send it back — do not sandpaper the contact into an open.

Why it exists

A crown that only seats after you lean on it is an undercut or a heavy contact. Cement will not hide that.

Steps

Cementation lesson