All-ceramic restorations continue to make inroads into the overall restorative market at the rate of about 1 to 2 percent each year. In the year 2007, approximately 29 percent of restorations were all-ceramic. In 2010, the all-ceramic share of restorations had risen to 46 percent. Metal-free restorative options include composites, pressed ceramics and cementable all-ceramic products. Each of these metal-free options has a place in current esthetic restorative dentistry. During this course, I will share what I think are the proper indications for each of these materials. We certainly have seen failures in the lab when dentists attempt to push these materials beyond their indications. There are still several clinical situations that call exclusively for the use of PFM restorations, but that list of situations is shrinking.
