[Is titanium an alternative for base metal alloys?].

Because of the excellent biocompatibility titanium can be considered as an ideal material for prosthetic reconstructions. Especially for base metal alloys titanium is an alternative due to the low cost. Processing still causes problems. In this paper a vacuum pressure casting system and a combination of milling and spark erosion are described and investigated. Both techniques are suitable to manufacture prosthetic restorations with a high accuracy of fit. Problems in dental castings lie in the occurrence of a superficial reaction zone of about 40-100 microns width. No final conclusions concerning the metal-ceramic compound can be drawn at the moment for lack of undisputable results in different mechanical bonding tests. Due to the remaining difficulties the future importance of titanium in prosthetic dentistry cannot be prognosticated.