Digital workflow for an esthetic rehabilitation using a facial and intraoral scanner and an additive manufactured silicone index: A dental technique

Abstract

The present article describes a digital workflow for planning an esthetic treatment by using a facial and intraoral scanner, the dental and open-source software design of a facially generated diagnostic waxing, and additive manufactured (AM) clear silicone indices. A virtual design was created to fabricate a unique 3-piece AM index composed of flexible, clear silicone at the labial and lingual aspects and a rigid clear custom tray. The 3-piece AM clear indexes provided advantages compared with conventional procedures, including accurate reproduction of the digital diagnostic waxing, control of index thickness, various insertion paths of the silicone indices, flexibility of the indices, and online storage of the designs.