Hertzian indentation tests with spherical indenters in water were conducted to examine the contact fatigue in three dental ceramics, such as feldspathic porcelain, micaceous glass-ceramic (MGC) and glass-infiltrated alumina, which was used as dental restorations, and evaluated the effect of contact damage on strength. Initial damage was dependent of microstructure, showing cone cracks of brittle behavior in the feldspathic porcelain and deformation of quasi-plastic behavior in the MGC, with an intermediate case in the glass-infiltrated alumina. However, as increasing the number of cyclic loading (n=1~n =$10^6$)all materials showed an abrupt strength degradation, at which fracture was originated from damage in the contact fatigue. There were two strength degradation with increasing the number of cyclic loading in specific loads (200N, 500N, 1000N):first was from the cone cracks, and second was from the radial cracks created by cyclic loading. The radial cracks, once formed, led to rapid degradation in strength properties, Finally the material was failed at the high number of cyclic loading. Strength degradation with indentation load at fixed number of cyclic loading indicated that the feldspathic porcelain should be highly damage tolerant to the contact fatigue.