Glass-Ceramics in Dentistry: A Review

In this review, we first briefly introduce the general knowledge of glass-ceramics, including the discovery and development, the application, the microstructure, and the manufacturing of glass-ceramics. Second, the review presents a detailed description of glass-ceramics in dentistry. In this part, the history, property requirements, and manufacturing techniques of dental glass-ceramics are reviewed. The review provided a brief description of the most prevalent clinically used examples of dental glass-ceramics, namely, mica, leucite, and lithium disilicate glass-ceramics. In addition, we also introduce the newly developed ZrO₂-SiO₂ nanocrystalline glass-ceramics that show great potential as a new generation of dental glass-ceramics. Traditional strengthening mechanisms of glass-ceramics, including interlocking, ZrO₂-reinforced, and thermal residual stress effects, are discussed. Finally, a perspective and outlook for future directions in developing new dental glass-ceramics is provided to offer inspiration to the dental materials community.