Dental restorations associated with the development of novel microstructures for ceramic materials have caused an important change in the clinical workflow for dentists and technicians, as well as in the treatment options offered to patients. New microstructures have also been developed by the industry to offer ceramic and composite materials with optimized properties, i.e. good mechanical properties, appropriate wear behavior, and acceptable esthetic characteristics. The objective of this literature review is to discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of the new ceramic systems and processing methods.