Three Dimensional Digitally Designed Surgical Guides in Esthetic Crown Lengthening: A Clinical Case Report with 12 Months Follow Up

INTRODUCTION: The digital workflow has improved the quality of dental care. The integration of computer-aided design/computer-aided-manufacturing (CAD/CAM), cone-beam-computer-tomography (CBCT) and three-dimensional (3D) printing offers significant advantages for treatment planning and allows the dentist to visualize the treatment outcomes before they are initiated. Digital dental technology has become reliable and affordable with many applications for surgical and restorative solutions. CASE DESCRIPTION: The aim of the presented case is to demonstrate the advantages of 3D digitally-designed surgical guides in periodontal surgery. The patient needed esthetic crown lengthening to correct the altered passive eruption. Digital impressions, digital smile design (DSD) and CBCT were used for treatment planning and fabricating of 3D printed surgical guides using a 3D printer. These surgical guides were then used clinically. The clinical outcomes of 12 months follow up were precise and the surgeries were straight-forward, with relatively short procedure time. This is consistent with published literature comparing digitally generated guides to free-hand procedures. CONCLUSION: The digitally generated 3D printed guides are reliable tools to perform surgeries precisely. Digital planning software is an efficient communication tool with referring dentists.