Lithium Disilicate Glass Ceramic

Lithium disilicate is mainly used to restore single teeth. A review of the material lists inlays, onlays, veneers and partial crowns, as well as single crowns at the front of the mouth¹. It also lists small three-unit bridges¹ at the front and in the premolar region (the teeth just in front of the molars). A three-unit bridge usually replaces one missing tooth and is held by crowns on the teeth on either side. For its milled product, one manufacturer also lists crowns on back teeth²; this is manufacturer data.

Where it is often chosen

• Veneers on front teeth, to change colour or shape. See our page on laminate veneers.
• Inlays, onlays and partial crowns, where enough of the tooth remains that a full crown is not needed. An inlay fills a gap inside the tooth; an onlay also covers one or more of the cusps (the raised chewing points).
• Single crowns at the front and, in suitable cases, at the back of the mouth. See our page on crowns in this ceramic.

Where it is used with more caution

• Bridges. A 2026 review of bridges on natural teeth estimated that about 83 in every 100 lithium disilicate bridges were still in place after five years³. For metal-ceramic bridges, the figure was about 91. The difference was statistically significant. Decay at the edges and loosening were more common with all-ceramic bridges³. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records. For bridges, the manufacturer of one milled product lists three-unit bridges up to the second premolar as the last supporting tooth².
• Heavy clenching or grinding. It raises the risk of the ceramic fracturing. Health information from the Australian government notes that veneers may not be suitable if you grind or clench your teeth⁴. Your dentist may then suggest another material. A night guard may reduce the risk of fracture, but it does not remove it.
• Very dark teeth. Thin, translucent ceramic may not hide the colour. One manufacturer makes a more opaque version for discoloured teeth². Ask how the planned design affects how much of the tooth is removed.

Strength

Strength figures for dental ceramics come from laboratory bending tests, and they vary with the test method. In independent studies of one milled lithium disilicate block, a three-point bending test gave values from about 210 to 470 MPa¹. Most results lay between about 340 and 400 MPa. MPa (megapascals) is a unit of stress. The manufacturer reports 530 MPa in its own biaxial test²; this is manufacturer data from a different test. Zirconia is stronger, which is one reason it is chosen more often for back teeth and bridges.

An international standard for dental ceramics, ISO 6872, sorts ceramics into classes by their minimum flexural strength, from 50 to 800 MPa⁵. The standard links each class to the restorations that a ceramic in that class may be used for. Whether a ceramic suits your tooth also depends on the product's instructions for use and on the state of your tooth.

Laboratory strength does not translate directly into how long a restoration lasts. For single crowns on natural teeth, survival in studies was close across lithium disilicate, zirconia and metal-ceramic (see "Benefits and limitations").

Thickness and space

Ceramics are much weaker in tension than in compression¹: they resist being squeezed far better than being bent or pulled. A ceramic restoration therefore needs enough thickness and good support from the tooth. For its milled product, the manufacturer gives a smallest thickness of 0.4 mm for a veneer and 1 mm for a crown². These are lower limits for the ceramic under the manufacturer's conditions. They are not the amount of tissue removed from your tooth.

Appearance

It lets light through in a way close to a natural tooth. One manufacturer supplies its milled blocks in four levels of translucency², including a more opaque version for discoloured teeth. Compared with ceramic, composite is easier to fix if damaged, but not as stain- or wear-resistant⁶.

Bonding

Because it contains a glass phase, it can be etched with acid and treated with silane, which allows a strong adhesive bond⁷. Bonding to zirconia is more difficult. How it is bonded or cemented is explained below.

Before a lithium disilicate restoration is planned, the teeth and gums are examined, with X-rays where needed. The dentist looks at decay, the gums, the bite, how much sound tooth and enamel remain, and any clenching or grinding. Your medical history and medicines are reviewed too. Decay and gum disease are treated first.

Which restoration the tooth needs, if any, is decided at the examination. If the only concern is colour, shape or position, whitening, composite bonding or tooth straightening may be considered first. They remove less tooth tissue, or none. For a veneer, usually only a thin layer of enamel is taken from the front, and that cannot be reversed⁶. For a crown, the tooth is reduced on every surface, so far more tissue is removed. An inlay or onlay can keep more of the tooth than a full crown. Whichever is chosen, the tissue removed does not grow back. Our dental crowns page explains when a crown is needed and when it is not.

Keeping enamel

For veneers, the aim is to keep the shaping of the tooth within the enamel. One retrospective study reviewed 580 porcelain veneers, not specifically lithium disilicate ones, with follow-up of up to 12 years. 99 in 100 survived when the shaping stayed within the enamel⁸. Veneers bonded to the dentine, the layer beneath the enamel, were about 10 times as likely to fail⁸. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records.

Choosing the shade

The shade is chosen before the restoration is made, usually with a shade guide. A review found that choosing shade by eye alone has lower accuracy and repeatability⁹, so photographs or a measuring instrument may be used as well. The authors of a 2025 review do not recommend choosing the shade with an intraoral scanner¹⁰. If you plan to whiten your natural teeth, say so before the shade is chosen: whitening does not lighten crowns or veneers¹¹.

Lithium disilicate restorations are made in one of two main ways. Both start from an impression or a digital scan of the prepared tooth.

• Pressed. In a dental laboratory, the ceramic is heated and pressed into a mould of the restoration. Heat-pressing is one of the conventional ways of making ceramic veneers⁷.
• Milled (CAD/CAM). The restoration is designed on a computer and milled from a ceramic block. Some blocks are milled in a partly crystallised, bluish state. In one such block, the material is then weaker, at around 130 MPa, and easier to mill¹. After milling it is fired in a furnace, which completes the crystals and brings its final strength, shade and translucency¹. Other blocks, including at least one lithium disilicate block, are crystallised by the manufacturer and need no firing¹.

Milling can be done in a laboratory or, where the equipment exists, at the dental clinic (chairside). The surface is then polished or glazed, and colour can be added with stains. To tailor its appearance, the biting edge of the restoration can be cut back and layered with porcelain². In a 2026 review, single-piece lithium disilicate and zirconia crowns had significantly fewer fractures and chips than crowns with porcelain layered on top¹².

Does the method matter?

Few clinical studies compare pressed and milled lithium disilicate directly. A 2025 review of lithium disilicate veneers included eight studies, two of them laboratory studies. It reported that pressed veneers fitted better at the edges and had higher survival over up to 10 years, while milled veneers had a better internal fit¹³. But only one trial had a low risk of bias, and the authors rated the certainty of most results low or very low¹³. Another 2025 review, of veneers in several ceramics, could not analyse the effect of the fabrication method⁷.

A 2019 review pooled 14 clinical studies comparing ceramic restorations made by CAD/CAM with conventionally made ones. The studies followed the restorations for two to seven years. CAD/CAM restorations failed more often: 2.62 against 1.48 failures for every 100 restorations followed for a year¹⁴. The difference was statistically significant. When patients left a study early, their restorations were counted as still in place, so the failure rates may be higher. That review covered several ceramics and included laboratory milling. Its search ended in 2017, so it may not reflect current materials and machines. Same-day chairside work is not assessed separately¹⁴, so these reviews cannot tell us whether it lasts as long as laboratory work. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records. Our CAD/CAM page explains the technology.

Your dentist will tell you whether your restoration will be pressed or milled, and whether it is made at the clinic or in a laboratory. You can ask for this in writing, with the name of the laboratory.

Lithium disilicate can be bonded to the tooth with an adhesive. Adhesive bonding to zirconia can be challenging⁷, and this is one of the main differences between the two materials. Before bonding, the fitting surface of the ceramic is etched with acid and treated with silane⁷. Silane is a coupling agent that helps the adhesive grip the ceramic.

• Veneers are bonded. A thin veneer depends on its bond. A 2025 review names a mostly enamel-based preparation and a strong adhesive bond⁷ as keys to how long veneers last.
• Crowns made from one manufacturer's milled product can be fixed adhesively, self-adhesively or with conventional cement², depending on the clinical situation. This is manufacturer data. Ask your dentist which method is planned for your tooth, and why.

Try-in and fitting

Before the restoration is fixed, the fit, the edges, the colour and the bite are checked in the mouth. The colour of a veneer cannot be changed⁴ after it has been bonded, so this is the moment to say if the shade looks wrong. After fitting, excess material is removed and the bite is adjusted. The bite and the fit at the gum are usually checked again at a review appointment; ask when and where it will be.

Benefits

• It contains no metal, so no metal edge can show at the gum.
• It lets light through in a way close to a natural tooth.
• It can be bonded, which allows thin veneers and partial restorations that keep more of the tooth.
• Its surface resists staining better than composite⁶.
• There are long-term study data for it as a veneer and as a single crown (see below).

Limitations

• Not as strong as zirconia. It needs enough thickness, and this affects how much of the tooth is prepared.
• Bridges. Lithium disilicate bridges did less well in studies than metal-ceramic bridges (see "Common restorative uses").
• Fracture. Clenching, grinding, knocks and biting hard objects can crack or chip it.
• Dark teeth. Thin, translucent ceramic may not hide a dark tooth; ask how the planned design affects how much of the tooth is removed.
• Colour. Its colour cannot be changed after bonding⁴, and whitening does not lighten it¹¹. So if the teeth beside it are whitened later, it can look darker than them. Natural teeth can also discolour over time and no longer match it⁴. Over the years, a colour difference can appear at the edge of ceramic veneers⁷.
• The tooth beneath. Preparing a tooth cannot be undone, and the tooth will need a restoration from then on. A restoration does not protect the tooth from decay, which can start at its edge. The tooth can become more sensitive because some enamel is removed⁴. The nerve inside the tooth can also be affected. A review pooled 37 studies of teeth that were alive before they received crowns or other indirect restorations. In about 5 in every 100 of these teeth, the nerve died¹⁵. The studies followed the teeth for different lengths of time. In studies with more than ten years of follow-up, the figure was about 7 in every 100¹⁵. If the nerve dies, root canal treatment is needed to keep the tooth. These figures are for all these restorations together, not for lithium disilicate alone. The review gives no separate figure for veneers, and the certainty of this evidence is low. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records.

How long it lasts in studies

Studies report how many restorations are still in place after a period of time; they do not give a lifespan. Staying in place does not mean no problem or repair was needed. The figures below come from published studies, not from our own records.

• Veneers. A 2025 review of 29 studies found about 97 in every 100 lithium disilicate veneers still in place after about 10 years⁷. It found no significant difference from feldspathic porcelain veneers.
• Single crowns. A 2026 review looked at single crowns on natural teeth. For single-piece lithium disilicate crowns, it estimated that about 98 to 99 in every 100¹² were still in place after five years. For metal-ceramic and single-piece zirconia crowns, the figure was about 97.
• Bridges. Survival was lower, as described above under common uses.

Fracture and chipping

In a review of 25 studies, fracture and coming loose were the main reasons ceramic veneers failed¹⁶, mostly in the early years. A 2025 review pooled 29 studies of veneers in several ceramics. At an average follow-up of 10.4 years, 4.3% of ceramic veneers cracked, 3.5% chipped and 2.5% fractured completely⁷. In 2.2%, the veneer came off. The results varied widely between the studies. These figures come from published studies, not from our own records. In the same review, lithium disilicate veneers had slightly fewer technical and biological complications⁷ than feldspathic and leucite-reinforced ones. The authors link this to its interlocking crystals, which limit how a crack spreads.

The risk of fracture rises with clenching or grinding, with ceramic that is too thin, and with biting hard objects. In a small study of people who clenched or ground their teeth, those who wore a night guard had fewer veneer fractures¹⁷. The study was not randomised, and its veneers were not lithium disilicate. A night guard may reduce the risk, but it does not remove it.

Wear

Ceramic resists wear better than composite⁶. It can also wear down the natural teeth it bites against. A 2024 review pooled seven small clinical studies of crowns on back teeth, followed for up to two years. Opposite lithium disilicate crowns, enamel loss showed no clear difference from the wear natural teeth cause on each other, but the estimate was imprecise¹⁸. Metal-ceramic and single-piece zirconia crowns caused significantly more wear than natural teeth¹⁸. The authors call for larger trials. If you clench or grind your teeth, tell your dentist.

Repair

Not every chip means a new restoration. Small chips may be repaired, but sometimes a new veneer is needed¹⁹. In the 2025 review, most technical problems with veneers were dealt with without replacing them⁷. Larger cracks and fractures may mean the restoration has to be replaced.

If a veneer or crown comes off, keep it, do not glue it back yourself, and see a dentist. It can sometimes be fixed back if it and the tooth are sound and it still fits. A new restoration usually needs laboratory or milling time and more than one appointment, and its colour has to match the teeth beside it. Each replacement may take a little more tissue from the tooth.

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, and clean between your teeth every day, including where the restoration meets the gum.
• Do not bite hard objects such as ice, nails or pens, and do not use your teeth as tools.
• If you clench or grind your teeth, wear the night guard your dentist recommends.
• Keep up regular check-ups. A clinical guideline on dental check-ups recommends that the interval be set for each person according to their risk²⁰.
• Discuss whitening before treatment. Whitening does not lighten ceramic. A review based mainly on laboratory studies also advises patients to avoid bleaching ceramic restorations, especially those of front teeth²¹. Bleaching may roughen their surface.

A restoration does not protect the tooth beneath it from decay; new decay can start at its edge. See a dentist if a restoration chips, cracks, feels rough or loose, or comes off. See one too if sensitivity does not settle or gets worse, or if pain starts on its own. The same applies if the gum around it swells or bleeds.

If pain keeps increasing, or you have facial swelling or a high temperature, see a dentist without waiting for the clinic's reply. A dental abscess does not go away on its own and needs urgent treatment by a dentist²².

Emergencies. With a suspected dental abscess, the following need urgent medical help²². Do not wait for a dental appointment: go to a hospital emergency department or call 112.

• It is hard to breathe, speak, swallow or open your mouth
• A swollen or painful eye, or sudden problems with your eyesight
• A lot of swelling inside your mouth

Lithium disilicate is one of several tooth-coloured options. The right one depends on the tooth, the bite, the space available and what you expect of the appearance. Our page on dental ceramics explains the whole family.

• Feldspathic porcelain. Built up by hand in layers, often for thin veneers. A 2025 review describes feldspathic and leucite-reinforced ceramics as able to mimic the shade and translucency of a natural tooth, but mechanically weaker⁷. It describes lithium disilicate as a balance of appearance and strength⁷. For veneers, it found no significant difference in survival at about ten years.
• Zirconia. Often called "zirconium". It is stronger and is used more often for back teeth, bridges and implant crowns. Some types are more opaque, and bonding to it is more difficult. For zirconia veneers there were no long-term data⁷. Our zirconia crowns page explains its types.
• Zirconia-reinforced lithium silicates. Related lithium-based glass ceramics with added zirconia, from other product families. In a review of laboratory tests, one lithium disilicate block was stronger than the three other lithium-based blocks compared¹. None of the studies in the 2025 veneer review reported on lithium silicate ceramics⁷.
• Metal-ceramic (porcelain fused to metal). Porcelain on a metal framework, studied over the longest periods. If the gum recedes, metal may show at its edge.
• Composite resin. Not a ceramic. It is easier to fix if damaged, but not as stain- or wear-resistant⁶ as ceramic.

Before treatment, ask in writing:

• which material and which product will be used for each tooth, and who makes it;
• whether the restoration will be pressed or milled, whether it will be made at the clinic or in a laboratory, and in which laboratory;
• what will be done if a restoration breaks, chips or comes off, and how your written plan covers this.

You have the right to be told, on request, who the dentists and other staff treating you are, and their roles and titles²³.

Records. Under Turkish rules, private dental clinics record the diagnosis, the treatment and any X-rays in detail, with tooth numbers²⁴. You can examine your file and records and get a copy²³. Ask for a written record that shows which teeth have veneers, onlays or crowns, and the material, product, manufacturer, shade and laboratory. A dentist who treats you later can then see what was done.

Consent. Under Turkey's patient rights regulation, you are told about other options, with their benefits and risks, and the possible consequences of refusing²³. In private dental clinics, you are asked to sign a consent form for every intervention²⁴. Two copies of the form are signed, and one is given to you²³. Ask for your copy.

Your choice. A second opinion from another dentist gives you a point of comparison. You can say no, or ask to stop, at any stage. Once a tooth has been prepared, that step cannot be undone.