Simplified classification for dental ceramics

Throughout history many types of ceramic materials have been developed in order to replace dental structures. At the beginning, porcelain fused to metal was the standard treatment, due to poor mechanical properties of pure ceramics. Over time, many improvements were achieved and metal-free restorations became a reality, for rehabilitation of anterior and posterior areas of the dental arch. Nowadays, due to the increasing expectations of our patients, as well as the importance of tooth preservation, metal-free restorations have become the standard treatment to replace teeth fragments such as inlays, onlays and veneersor full crown replacements as dental crowns, bridges and crowns on implants abutments. Nevertheless, how to choose the right ceramic material for each indication has become a real challenge for most of clinicians. The correct use of a classification based not only on mechanical and optical properties or microstructure, but in the way clinicians deal with the substrate will simplify our decision. This is the aim of the purposed classification, to facilitate the process of choosing the right ceramic material in our daily practice in order to fulfil patient's expectations.