Digital vs. Conventional Wax-Up

Abstract

Case presentation: This article aims at presenting a case of an esthetic previsualization using both digital and conventional wax-up technique in order to compare their results in terms of functional and esthetic outcome, workflow, time and costs. Material and methods: For the digital method, the Smile Cloud application was used for Digital Smile Design, afterwards the project was imported into 3Shape Dental Designer software for designing the digital wax-up and a printed model was produced for the clinical mock-up. For the conventional method, alginate impressions and a facial bow registration were taken and the models mounted in a semi adjustable articulator were used to transfer the data provided by the dentist in order to design the analog wax-up. Discussion/Conclusion: The digital wax-up has the advantages of a better macro and micro texture on the future restorations, it is less time consuming in terms of design and additional changes, but also being a more expensive option due to extensive equipment needed.