Tooth reduction guides allow the clinician to obtain a more controlled and conservative tooth preparation. Minimally invasive preparations aim to maintain enamel, which offers more reliable and predictable bonding in order to obtain long-term success of the restoration. This lecture features clinical scenarios in which tooth reduction guides were fabricated with traditional and novel techniques such as digital design and 3D printing. The presented tooth reduction guides feature different designs that permit comprehensive access for tooth preparation and evaluation with a periodontal probe, ensuring uniform reduction and avoiding overpreparation. Tooth reduction guides with different designs were successfully used to treat patients with esthetic concerns due to spaces and mild wear in the smile zone. This approach resulted in minimally invasive tooth preparations followed by handcrafted ultra-thin laminate veneer restorations that met patients’ esthetic demands while preserving tooth structure. Ceramic laminate veneers bonded to enamel structure maximize the properties of the materials and provide long-term success. Novel 3D-printed and traditional tooth reduction guides with different designs allow clinicians to perform more predictable and conservative preparation in all directions in the esthetic zone.
Learning Objectives:
Gain a significant understanding regarding the importance of minimizing the removal of tooth structure for veneer restorations.
Become familiar with novel techniques for the digital design and fabrication of tooth reduction guides.
Understand the importance for bonding ceramic veneers under rubber dam isolation.