IPS e.max® Press

IPS e.max® Press is designed to enhance the quality of life and well-being of the patient without sacrificing the quality of the final restoration. The name is synonymous with excellence in restorations by bringing out the best in dental laboratory technology

What is IPS e.max®?

IPS e.max® is a trade name for monolithic lithium disilicate ceramic, a biocompatible glass-ceramic material that is renowned for its high mechanical strength, form, function, fit, and aesthetics. It is an affordable alternative to zirconia and porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations.

Prosthetics can be built as full-contour monolithic restorations without the need for veneering ceramic. For this reason, the preparation is minimally invasive, while maximizing the aesthetic and strength of metal-free restorations.

What is IPS e.max® Press?

IPS e.max® Press is a glass-ceramic product used for over 20 years in the dental laboratory industry. The material is renowned for aesthetic, biocompatible restorations with excellent accuracy and fit. It has enamel-like properties, which result in long-lasting restorations that address and restore function, aesthetics, and biomechanics of the teeth.

E.max® Press is fabricated through a three-step process:

1. waxing up the restoration
   
2. investing and burning out the wax
   
3. pressing the lithium disilicate into the negative space left in the wax

Pressing is the desirable production method as it enables the technician to get the full benefits of the material. Technicians are able to produce natural-looking restorations with the utmost precision. Pressed e.max® is fully crystallized, resulting in long crystals that give the material its high flexural strength and fracture toughness. Moreover, the pressing method enables dental technicians to produce several restorations in one press cycle.

Clinical Success

​Over ten years of clinical studies have found that E.max® Press performed better than conventional materials, such as glass or metal ceramics. It also outperformed its millable counterpart, IPS e.max® CAD in terms of fracture toughness and biaxial flexural strength. E.max® Press offers high levels of safety, survival, toughness, and strength. Six studies focused on a total of 499 restorations over the course of four years documented a survival rate of 98.4% and a fracture rate of 0.4%. Additionally, a  2010 Ivoclar Vivadent® document stated that pressed IPS e.max® has a fracture toughness of 2.75 megapascals (MPa) and a flexural strength of 470-500 MPa. In terms of fatigue, pressed lithium-disilicate monolithic crowns performed better than  IPS e.max® CAD as well–especially when treated with a self-etching ceramic primer.

Processing Techniques of IPS e.max® Press

​IPS e.max® Press gives provides the maximum level of flexibility when it comes to processing techniques for aesthetic restorations:

• Staining technique
  
• Cut-back-technique
  
• Layering-technique

Preparation

​The pressing technique allows the tooth structure to be prepared conservatively. Considering the minimum wall thickness of the restorations, the main objective is to maintain and preserve the dental hard tissue as best as possible. For example, inlays require a minimum layer thickness of only 1 millimeter (mm), while veneers require only 0.3 mm, and crowns require 1.5 mm. It’s vital to prepare a circular shoulder with rounded inner edges or a chamfer when designing the preparation.

​Cementation

IPS e.max® Press can be seated using adhesive, self-adhesive, or conventional cementation–depending on the indication. For optimal strength and bonding,  IPS e.max® Press should be etched prior to being seated. Furthermore, with conventional cementation, silanating is not necessary.

Multilink® Automix is a composite system that does not require mixing. It is universal and self-etching and can be directly applied. This material seals the dentin, ensuring a good marginal seal along with high bonding strength.

Variolink® II and Variolink Veneer are cementation systems that are suitable for veneers.

SpeedCEM® is a self-adhesive composite cement that does not require separate bonding agents and is considered easier to process than conventional cement.

Following cementation, occlusal adjustments are made with a fine diamond. Then, a diamond polishing system is used to polish the restorations to a high gloss.

​Suitable Ingot for Virtually Every Restoration

IPS e.max® Press ingots are suitable for virtually every clinical situation:

• Veneer
• Thin Veneer
• Occlusal Veneer
• Inlay, Onlay
• Partial Crown
• Crowns in the anterior region
• Bridges in the anterior region
• Implant superstructures
• Hybrid abutments and abutment crowns

​Versatile Range of Applications

IPS e.max® Press ingots are offered in seven levels of translucency and opalescent Impulse shades.

High translucency (HT) ingots are ideal for small restorations, such as inlays. The high translucency provides a lifelike "chameleon effect," allowing the restorations to adapt seamlessly to the natural tooth structure.

Medium translucency (MT) ingots are suited for staining and cut-back techniques.

Low translucency (LT) ingots are ideal for large restorations, like posterior crowns. Low translucency exhibits true-to-nature brightness, saturation, and intensity.

High opacity (HO) ingots are appropriate for restoring highly discolored dies.

Medium opacity (MO) ingots are suitable for substructures on vital or slightly discolored prepared teeth.

Impulse (I) ingots are appropriate for veneers in light tooth shades as they require an opalescent effect.

Multi ingots are meant for highly aesthetic veneers, anterior and posterior crowns, and hybrid abutment crowns. The polychromatic ingot provides a natural color gradient from dentin to the incisal edge

How Can The Dental Lab Help?

​The Dental Lab is a  proud provider of both IPS e.max® Press and its milled counterpart IPS e.max® CAD. Our skilled technicians are experienced in both pressing methods as well as using CAD/CAM for milling. Contact us today to send a case.

Sources:
IPS e.max Press
IPS e.max Press
Everything You Need to Know About IPS e.max

Keywords:
IPS e.max, IPS e.max Press, pressing, restorations, The Dental Lab, translucency, opacity, ingots, inlays, veneers, crowns, lithium disilicate