I am Done with EMAX LT Blocks
No more LT blocks for me. I've waffled back and forth in using these blocks and frankly I just don't use them anymore. The LT or low translucency blocks are meant for full coverage crowns where as the HT blocks are meant more for partial coverage restorations.
Yes you can use the HT blocks for full crowns but typically the restorations would look a bit gray because of the translucency of the material. The trick to overcome this would be to use a shade lighter which would overcome the decrease in value of the restorations. But now more and more I've been doing crowns with HT blocks, I see no reason anymore to use the LT blocks because the translucency is so good with the HT blocks that your margins just melt away. This particular case is done with an HT B1 emax block and the margin is mid-buccal. My apologies for the bit of polishing paste on the buccal but you get the idea. Stick with the HT blocks and you will get exceptional esthetics.
So HT always but still shoot for a shade lighter? What if you are dealing with a dark prep? In a lot of cases there was previously a large amalgam which has stained the dentin. I find with the HT blocks the darkness really shines through the HT material.
Nav,
Im being a bit dramatic in my post above in saying that you should never use LT blocks but I prefer the look of the HT blocks more. If you obviously have a dark stump, by all means use LT but I just find that the HT blends better and to overcome the grayness that can occur, use one shade lighter to get the color exactly as you want.
