Digital smile design and mock-up technique for esthetic treatment planning with porcelain laminate veneers

The use of digital tools offers a new perspective to daily clinical activities. The digital information serves as a starting point for a wax-up and intraoral mock-up, which is widely reported in literature as an objective and efficient communication tool among dentist, patient, and technician. This case report of a maxillary anterior rehabilitation demonstrates esthetic planning with the digital smile design (DSD) system and a direct mock-up technique. After preoperative photographs were obtained, digital planning was created using DSD. However, due to differences in virtual simulation, a direct mock-up with composite resin was performed. Porcelain laminate veneers using feldspathic ceramics were used to restore the anterior teeth. Many times, the DSD simulation is not enough for the patient to understand and observe the changes that will be performed on the anterior teeth. This combination of techniques can offer predictability to results as well increasing the patient expectation satisfaction.