Blog / Clinical Cases / Direct composite veneers: Optimizing the smile after orthodontic treatment

Brain Floss Blog

August 30, 2026

Clinical Case: Direct composite veneers: Optimizing the smile after orthodontic treatment

with 3M™ Filtek™ Universal Restorative.

Prof. Paulo Monteiro

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About the Case

A 35-year-old female patient presented with an enamel defect after completing orthodontic treatment. The defect affected the buccal surfaces of her maxillary anterior teeth and she wanted to improve the esthetic appearance of these teeth. The patient asked for a solution that not only covered the defects, but also made the teeth appear whiter. She already had undergone a home-bleaching treatment. Based on three different treatment options presented, the patient selected a direct composite veneer approach.

Challenge

The selected treatment was a non-prep procedure. Only the aprismatic enamel needed to be removed. This allowed the healthy tooth structure to be preserved. Hence, a single layer of composite would be sufficient to restore the teeth. This made it particularly important to choose the right composite shade.

Close-up of upper front teeth showing uneven edges and slight spacing between some teeth

INITIAL SITUATION: Preoperative frontal view of the patient’s teeth, showing severe erosive tooth wear on the vestibular surfaces and incisal edges.

Close-up of upper front teeth showing natural texture and slight spacing between some teeth

Exclusive view of the affected maxillary teeth.

Close-up of a tooth with visible enamel surface and adjacent gum tissue

Lateral view revealed the severity of the surface irregularities caused by the enamel defect.

Close-up of upper front teeth with a dental shade guide labeled 'B1' held next to a central incisor

Tooth shade was determined with the VITA classical A1-D4® shade guide. The tooth shade was B1, which matched 3M™ Filtek™ Universal Restorative’s B1 shade. However, since the patient asked for brighter teeth, the Extra White (XW) was used instead.

The tooth was prepared under rubber dam using 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Extra Thin Finishing and Polishing Disc (course). Bevels were created, edges were rounded and the surface was roughened.

Close-up of upper front teeth covered with blue dental impression material

Enamel was etched using 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Etchant for 15 seconds after the surface was cleaned with 3M™ Clinpro™ Glycine Prophy Powder and aprismatic enamel was removed with a 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Extra Thin Finishing and Polishing Disc (coarse).

Close-up of upper front teeth showing dental restorations on two central incisors with visible texture and slight color variation

Appearance of the teeth after 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive was applied and a single layer of Filtek Universal Restorative Extra White shade (XW) was placed and light cured for 10 seconds. The patient’s expectations were met upon seeing the high value of the direct veneers.

Close-up of upper front teeth and gums showing natural teeth with slight spacing and healthy pink gums

FINAL RESULTS: Treatment result after the 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Diamond Polishing System was used to finish and polish. The restorations showed an impressive initial gloss. As with all 3M™ Filtek™ composites containing nanotechnology, Filtek Universal Restorative offers great polish retention as well.

Outcome

The patient desired glossy surfaces and bright teeth, and this was achieved with the single opacity 3M™ Filtek™ Universal Restorative Extra White (XW). It’s the material of choice for single-shade technique as its creamy handling facilitates composite modeling, its polishing properties are great and the outcomes are highly esthetic.

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