A process for fabricating pre-sintered zirconia blanks that are then computer machined and sintered to form dental appliances having highly advantageous features. The principal steps of a preferred embodiment of that process comprise a) preparing a ceramic slurry of binderless zirconia powder； b) subjecting the slurry to attrition milling； c) preparing a vacuum assisted slip casting mold and pouring the milled slurry into the slip-casting mold； d) after casting, excess slurry is poured from the mold and a consolidated zirconia blank is removed； e) drying the blank and pre-sintering it to form solid blanks ready for CAD/CAM machining and sintering to net shape.
