Lithium disilicate (glass-ceramic, e.max type) is the benchmark for anterior aesthetics. Highly translucent, it mimics enamel like few other materials. However, it has precise indications and a specific milling process. Here is a full overview.
Why lithium disilicate?
Its high translucency and luminous appearance make it the material of choice when aesthetics are paramount: single anterior crowns, veneers, inlays/onlays. Where zirconia is strong but more opaque, lithium disilicate plays with light.
Typical indications
- Veneers and single anterior crowns.
- Aesthetic inlays / onlays.
- Cases where optical integration with natural teeth is critical.
For posterior bridges or high-load situations, zirconia remains the material of choice: lithium disilicate is less indicated for long-span restorations.
Milling: the wet route
Glass-ceramic heats up and becomes brittle when dry-milled: it must be milled wet (with water cooling). Make sure your milling machine supports wet milling before working with this material.
After milling: crystallization
Lithium disilicate is milled in a "pre-crystallized" state (soft, often bluish), then undergoes a crystallization firing that gives it its final strength and definitive shade. This step is essential — skipping or failing the crystallization firing compromises the restoration.
Lithium disilicate or zirconia?
- Maximum anterior aesthetics, veneers → lithium disilicate.
- Strength, posterior restorations, bridges → zirconia.
- Many laboratories keep both and choose according to the clinical case.
The right approach: match the material to the indication, not the other way around. To build a coherent range (discs + wet milling equipment + furnace), early advice saves time.
