All-ceramic restorations in the posterior region are an increasingly important area of dental care. However, no real suitable ceramics or economic processing procedures have been available so far. With the new LAVA system, it will be possible to satisfy these demands in the future. The system is based on the machining of presintered zirconia, which, due to its outstanding mechanical properties, its biocompatibility, and its excellent esthetics in combination with a specially designed veneer ceramic, is the ideal candidate for these applications. In combination with a corresponding CAD/CAM unit, the use of an easy-to-machine presintered ceramic material (which is sintered to full density after shaping, thus eliminating the need for extensive use of diamond tools) allows for the first time reliable, fully-automated and thus fast manufacturing of such restorations.