Feldspar ceramic is a glass ceramic material mostly used for veneers or veneering metal-ceramic restorations. In fact, it is actually the only material that was used for veneering until 15 years ago.
Feldspar ceramics is commonly used for anterior teeth, rarely for premolar teeth and almost never for molar teeth because of the material’s lower strength characteristics compared to the latest glass ceramic materials. Feldspathic ceramics have a lower fracture resistance compared to zirconia and lithium disilicate. This material is indicated for low-stress areas and for teeth that have significant enamel remains. Preserving tooth tissue is much easier with feldspar ceramics as it requires very little to no tooth preparation. On the other hand, restorations made of feldspar ceramics are harder to fit because they tend to shrink during the making period.Feldspathic porcelain restorations have to be bonded with resin bonding agents and they cannot be cemented.
For a very long time, Dentists have made use of this material simply because of its good esthetic characteristics. The veneers made of this material can be as thin as 0.4mm as a result of the good translucency that the feldspar ceramic provides. This no doubt explains why most of dentists still use and prefer this material. Another great advantage of this material is that dentists remove less tooth structure. When the proper block is chosen, it is placed in a milling machine that uses the digital design to carve the crown from the ceramic material.