Dental staining looks simple from the outside — paint color onto a restoration. In practice, choosing the wrong stain system for your substrate wastes material, firing cycles, and cases. ZonMedTech makes two stain systems, Polyfix and Ceramix, engineered for fundamentally different materials. This guide explains which one your lab needs — and when you need both.
The one rule: match the stain to the substrate
Stain chemistry must survive the substrate’s finishing process. That single principle decides everything:
- Polyfix (PRS-S-R) → for materials finished by light curing: 3D printed resins, PMMA, PEEK, and conventional polymers.
- Ceramix (PRS-S-G) → for materials finished by firing/sintering: zirconia, glass ceramics, and cast ceramics (external staining).
Use a light-cure stain on a zirconia crown and it burns off in the furnace. Use a ceramic stain on a printed denture and it never bonds. Substrate first, everything else follows.
Polyfix: the light-cure stain system
PolyFix™ Precision Dental Resin Coloration Kit
What it is: A 21-piece staining kit — 18 colors (R01–R18), one transparent diluent (R19), and two transparent glazes (R20 standard, R21 soft) — formulated for resin and polymer substrates.
How it works: Apply, then light-cure in a standard curing unit. The stain polymerizes in 30 seconds or less, locking color into the restoration surface.
Best for:
- Characterizing 3D printed dentures, temporary crowns, and models (pairs with the 18-resin PRS range)
- Staining PMMA provisionals and PEEK frameworks
- Chairside or labside shade adjustment on polymer restorations
- Cases where you need the restoration finished and delivered in one appointment
Key strengths: speed (seconds, not firing cycles), no furnace required, and a shade range covering the full VITA-style spectrum plus modifiers.
Ceramix: the ceramic stain system
What it is: A 20-shade system (G01–G20) engineered for external staining of fired ceramics.
How it works: Apply to the restoration, then fire in a porcelain furnace. The stain fuses into the ceramic surface during a short stain-firing cycle: ramp from 400°C at 50°C/min to a peak of 800°C for zirconia or 730°C for glass ceramic (press or CAD/CAM), hold 2.5–3 minutes at peak temperature — about 15 minutes total.
Best for:
- External staining of HT/LT zirconia crowns and bridges
- Characterizing glass ceramic (press and CAD/CAM) restorations
- Cast ceramic external staining
- Any case where the final restoration goes through a furnace anyway
Key strengths: the stain becomes part of the ceramic itself — no separate curing step, no risk of delamination, and shade stability through the firing process.
Side-by-side comparison
When you need both
| Polyfix (PRS-S-R) | Ceramix (PRS-S-G) | |
|---|---|---|
| Substrates | Resins, PMMA, PEEK, polymers | Zirconia, glass ceramic, cast ceramic |
| Fixation | Light curing (≤30 sec) | Furnace firing |
| Shades | 18 colors + diluent + 2 glazes | 20 shades (G01–G20) |
| Furnace needed | No | Yes |
| Typical use | Printed dentures, temps, provisionals | Zirconia crowns, ceramic restorations |
| Speed | Minutes, chairside-capable | Follows the firing cycle |
Many labs genuinely need both systems — they just serve different benches. A lab printing dentures on resin (Polyfix) and milling zirconia crowns (Ceramix) isn’t duplicating; it’s covering its two material families. The mistake is buying one system and stretching it onto the wrong substrate.
Simple decision tree:
- Does the restoration get fired? → Ceramix
- Is it resin, PMMA, PEEK, or polymer finished by light? → Polyfix
- Does your lab do both? → Both — they’re complementary, not competing.
Related reading:
Not sure which system fits your workflow? Contact our team with your substrate list and we’ll recommend the right kit.
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