---
title: "What Is Lithium disilicate (e.max)? Dental Glossary"
description: "Lithium disilicate is a strong glass ceramic used for tooth-colored crowns, veneers, inlays, and onlays. E.max is a well-known brand name for it."
url: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/lithium-disilicate-e-max
publisher: Town Center Dental
phone: +1-636-273-5866
quote: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment
---

Materials

# Lithium disilicate (e.max)

Lithium disilicate is a strong glass ceramic used for tooth-colored crowns, veneers, inlays, and onlays. E.max is a well-known brand name for it.

Lithium disilicate is a glass-based ceramic. It is shaded to look like natural tooth and can be thin, so a dentist may remove less tooth than with some other crowns. A review in the NIH library notes that lithium disilicate crowns are monolithic, meaning they are made of one material rather than layered. It is often used for front teeth and [veneers](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-veneers), and sometimes for back teeth. Many offices cut it from a block using [CAD/CAM](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/cad-cam-dentistry), or press it in a lab. Compared with [zirconia](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/zirconia), it is usually a little less strong and a little more see-through. Your dentist will talk with you about which fits. See our [dental crown](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dental-crown) page.

[Town Center Dental can helpDental Crown](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dental-crown)

## Related terms

-   [Zirconia](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/zirconia)
-   [Porcelain](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/porcelain)
-   [Dental veneers](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-veneers)
-   [Dental crown](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-crown)
-   [CAD/CAM dentistry](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/cad-cam-dentistry)

## Sources

1.  [NIH PubMed Central: Prescribing a dental ceramic material: Zirconia vs lithium-disilicate](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3723107/)

## Ready when you are

[Request an appointment](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment)[Call (636) 273-5866](tel:+1-636-273-5866)