IPS e.max Zirconia brings Ivoclar’s material expertise together in a single, high-performance product. It is rigorously tested to the highest standards to meet the demands of modern dental laboratories.

• Versatility: One disc covering a full range of indications, from single crowns to multi-unit bridges, and from thin veneers to full-arch restorations – without compromising on esthetics or efficiency.
• Esthetics: Advanced GTx Technology ensures a smooth transition of shade and translucency, delivering lifelike results with highly predictable shade accuracy.
• Efficiency: Optimized surface quality combined with ultra-fast sintering protocols enable the fabrication of strong, esthetic restorations in exceptionally short cycle times.
• Reliability: Validated beyond industry standards, with testing under real-life conditions across diverse restoration designs to ensure long-term performance and processing safety.

Developed for IPS e.max Zirconia, GTx Technology represents the next generation of Ivoclar’s Gradient Technology, introduced with IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime in 2019, it comprises several coordinated elements:

1. Optimized conditioning: A specialized powder pre-treatment compensates for the differing sintering behavior of various zirconium oxide powders, enabling exceptional accuracy of fit of the final restoration.
2. Precise shading: In-house powder shading combined with extensive iterative development ensures accurate and reliable matching to the A–D shade guide.
3. Innovative filling technology: A proprietary mold-filling process ensures a seamless, layer-free transition of shade and translucency throughout the disc.
4. Top-quality manufacturing: A coordinated two-stage pressing process minimizes porosity in the press blank, enhancing the material properties of the resulting CAD/CAM disc.

Yes, IPS e.max Zirconia can be used to fabricate veneers, with a minimum thickness of ≥ 0.5 mm.

For luting, the luting material choice depends on the restoration thickness: use Variolink Esthetic LC for veneers up to 1.5 mm and Variolink Esthetic DC for thicker restorations. Please refer to the respective Instructions for Use (IFU) for the recommended luting protocol.

IPS e.max Zirconia covers a wide range of tested and approved types of restorations.
Below listed types of restorations can be fabricated with IPS e.max Zirconia:

• Crown
• 3-unit bridge
• Multi-unit bridge with up to 2 connected pontics
• Multi-unit bridge with up to 4 connected anterior pontics
• Cantilever bridge with 1 connected pontic
• Inlay, Onlay, Veneer
• Adhesive Bridge (Maryland bridge) with 1 wing
• Hybrid structure, e.g. screw-retained crown on ti-base
• All-on-x

Yes, IPS e.max Zirconia is designed for excellent speed-sintering performance without compromising esthetics, shade accuracy or material reliability. This has been validated through chewing simulations and confirmed by international dental experts.

The following speed-sintering programs are available:

• 0:58 h for single crowns and 3-unit bridges
• 2:57 h for restorations up to full-arch bridges
• 9:50 h standard program

The fastest 0:58 h program enables the simultaneous sintering of up to 10 units in a Programat S2 furnace.

Yes. Meaningful comparisons require looking first at the underlying material concept. IPS e.max Zirconia belongs to a category of zirconia materials that combine different raw material types, typically reflected by two distinct flexural strength values.

IPS e.max Zirconia is based on a combination of 4Y-PSZ and 5Y-PSZ, offering flexural strengths of 1200 MPa and 800 MPa respectively. Ivoclar uses high-quality, unshaded zirconia powders, with shading performed in-house using proprietary GTx Technology. This approach enables outstanding shade accuracy.

Unlike conventionally layered discs, IPS e.max Zirconia is manufactured from only two shaded powders, resulting in a smooth, layer-free transition of shade and translucency from dentin to enamel. In addition, the GTx manufacturing process ensures full traceability of each disc from pressing through to final packaging, supporting consistent quality and reliability.

IPS e.max Zirconia is based on a combination of 4Y-PSZ and 5Y-PSZ zirconia powders. The 4Y-PSZ component is used in the dentin area, while 5Y-PSZ is applied in the incisal region of the disc to support enhanced translucency.

In dentistry, an yttrium-stabilized Zirconia (ZrO₂) is used that can exist in different crystal phases. IPS e.max Zirconia utilizes partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ), meaning it contains a controlled mix of tetragonal and cubic crystal structures. This tailored combination enables a balance of strength and esthetics within a single material.

IPS e.max Zirconia discs feature an open 98.5 mm geometry and can be processed on all milling machines equipped with a corresponding holder for this format. Milling performance may vary slightly depending on machine-specific strategies, such as feed rate or infeed. 
The material composition of IPS e.max Zirconia is optimized to ensure excellent milling performance, improved surface quality and high edge stability compared to previous zirconia generations.

For optimal results, the PrograMill machine platform offers dedicated milling templates tailored to IPS e.max Zirconia, enabling safe and highly efficient processing.

Yes, the Ivoclar IPS e.max Zirconia workflow includes a dedicated IPS e.max Zirconia Color Liquid portfolio for brush infiltration. It comprises all 16 A–D shades as well as 7 effect liquids:
Snow (white), Sunset (orange), Berry (violet), Hazel (brown), Sky (blue), Storm (gray) and Opaque.

The abrasion behavior of zirconia restorations, particularly in relation to the natural antagonist, is primarily influenced by the surface finish. In-vitro studies show that smoother, well-polished and rounded surfaces result in significantly reduced wear of the opposing dentition.

Furthermore, available data indicate that antagonist wear from polished monolithic zirconia crowns is not considered clinically critical.

The intelligent disc concept refers to the defined structure of IPS e.max Zirconia discs. The incisal and transition zones have fixed heights, i.e. 3 mm for the incisal area and 4 mm for the transition zone, regardless of the overall disc thickness.

This design results in a variable dentin layer proportion from 5 to 23 mm, allowing flexible use of the disc while maintaining consistent esthetic characteristics in the incisal region.

The restoration surface must be clean and free of grease or contaminants. Cleaning with a steam cleaner is recommended and recontamination should be avoided after cleaning. Due to the special composition of IPS e.max Ceram Art, sandblasting of the zirconia surface is not required.

IPS e.max Zirconia restorations can be cemented adhesively, self-adhesively or conventionally. For conventional cementation, a sufficiently retentive preparation design is essential.

If this cannot be ensured, adhesive or self-adhesive cementation, such as with Multilink^® Automix or SpeedCEM^® Plus, is recommended. For conventional cementation, ZirCAD Cement is available.

The use of conventional phosphate cements is not recommended for highly translucent zirconia, as they may adversely affect light transmission and compromise the esthetic outcome. Further guidance on suitable luting materials is provided in the Cementation Navigation System (CNS).