The fifth dimension in esthetic dentistry.

Every human smile is unique and special, reflecting the different shapes, textures, and colors of the teeth as well as their combinations. This uniqueness conveys a direct and specific message when it comes to creating a new smile design. Dentists need to consider the 'unity of the whole' concept in this task, which involves bringing together biology, structure, function, and esthetics to create the fifth dimension of the smile.

The influence of tooth color on preparation design for laminate veneers from a minimally invasive perspective: case report.

Various types of dental preparations for laminate veneers have been proposed,depending on factors such as the properties of the ceramic material, remaining dental structure color, need for altering the dental contour, laboratory fabrication technique, and occlusal relationships. Clinical observations of successes and failures associated with the development of techniques and materials have allowed some safe parameters to be delineated for effectively performing dental preparations for ceramic veneers or even placing veneers without any preparation. This article describes the use of an additive diagnostic wax-up that is transferred to the mouth by means of an intraoral mock-up (aesthetic pre-evaluative temporary) with associated mathematic parameters to guide dental preparations.