Digitally Created 3-Piece Additive Manufactured Index for Direct Esthetic Treatment

Facial and intraoral scanners as well as additive manufacturing (AM) technologies can be integrated to virtually plan restorative procedures. The present article describes a digital workflow protocol for treatment planning an esthetic rehabilitation using direct composite restorations. The combination of facial digitalization and intraoral scans allowed a facially driven diagnostic waxing, while additive manufacturing technologies facilitate the translation of the digital waxing into the patient´s mouth through an AM 3-piece silicone index which was designed into a buccal and a lingual clear flexible silicone indices that were fitted into a clear and rigid custom tray. This procedure facilitated the treatment planning procedures as well as assisted the direct composite restoration procedures, providing several advantages compared with conventional procedures such as precise translation of the digital diagnostic waxing into the patient´s mouth, horizontal path of insertion of the silicone index, and minimized time of the clinical intervention.