Background: As ceramic materials for dentistry evolve and patients' demand for esthetic restorations increases, practitioners must keep up with the science as well as the demand. The authors offer guidance to the practitioner in selecting the appropriate all-ceramic systems for crowns when faced with different esthetic demands.
Conclusions: Clinicians should reserve dental ceramics with high translucency for clinical applications in which high-level esthetics are required and the restoration can be bonded to tooth structure. Ceramics with high strength tend to be more opaque and pose a challenge when trying to match natural tooth color, but they can mask discoloration when present.
Practice implications: Knowledge of the optical properties of available ceramic systems enable the clinician to make appropriate choices when faced with various esthetic challenges.