Techniques used to fabricate all-ceramic restorations in the dental practice.

Porcelain is an increasingly popular material to use for restorations. This article will discuss the 3 main ways to fabricate porcelain restorations. The first method involves waxing up the restoration to the proper form and casting it in molten porcelain similar to the lost wax technique for gold. The second technique requires the use of porcelain in a powder form to be stacked on top of a refractory die or a platinum foil and then fired in the oven. The third main technique is the use of a CAD/CAM system to mill the porcelain restoration from a solid block of porcelain. All 3 techniques are valid and the clinician should have a thorough understanding of which techniques are appropriate in various clinical situations.