/ Clinical Cases / Just add what nature has missed – create a natural smile with glassceramic veneers
November 17, 2025
Using 3M™ Protemp™ 4 Temporization Material, 3M™ Express™ XT Impression Material, 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive, 3M™ RelyX™ Veneer Cement.
36 years male patient presented with the main concern of gaps between teeth and dissatisfaction with his smile. Besides the central diastema the teeth midline was shifted to the left and there was no upper teeth exposure at rest. Occlusion was stable and teeth shade was acceptable.
The main goal was to “just add what nature has missed” and create the most natural appearance of the teeth, which incorporates in the patient smile and ensures facial harmony.
A wax-up was created that corrected the central midline shift while maintaining a balanced width of the central incisors. The wax-up was transferred as a mock-up for evaluation of function and esthetics, fine-tuning of the shapes and for patient communication. Preparation was done with a preparation guide created on the final wax-up. Veneers were layered with feldspathic porcelain and bonded with 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive and 3M™ RelyX™ Veneer Cement.
As a central midline was shifted, it was very important to restore it with ensuring that size and width of both central incisors are still more or less the same. Besides, it was a huge challenge to do the preparation according to the future thickness of the restoration. Therefore, the preparation was made not through the mock-up, but with the guide done according to the mock-up.
Initial situation in the static occlusion.
3M™ Protemp™ 4 Temporization Material mock-up placed with a wax-up impression.
Preparation guide fabricated on the final wax-up was used to control the space needed for ceramic veneers: view before and after the minimal preparation of incisal and interpoximal areas.
Minimal preparation of the buccal surfaces with segmented guide fabricated on the final wax-up: checking reduction at the incisal edge, in the middle, and at the soft tissue level.
Final preparations with retraction cord in place.
One-step impression taken with 3M™ Express™ XT Penta H and 3M™ Express™ XT Light Body impression materials.
Layered felspathic glass-ceramic veneers.
Try-in of veneers.
HF etching of veneers followed by silanization with 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Plus Adhesive which was also used on the preparations after total etch with phosphoric acid.
Final result two weeks after veneer cementation with 3M™ RelyX™ Veneer Cement , translucent shade.
X-ray control to check the precision of restorations and possible cement excess.
The main goal was to create the most natural appearance of the teeth, which incorporates well into the patient smile and ensures the facial harmony. We have just added what nature has missed.
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