Diagnostic Wax-Ups:

A dental wax-up holds significance in the result of a patient's restoration because it is an outcome-based tool for diagnostic purposes. It requires a three-way conversation between the patient, dentist, and dental lab to create the desired results. For this conversation to be productive, the clinician must effectively communicate and provide the necessary information to the laboratory to reach the desired outcome.

The prescription written should include both the needs of the patient and clinician to better understand what the patient wants and what the dentist believes is possible. It is our job at Burbank Dental to take that information and ensure that the physical condition of the mouth will prove that the process will be smooth and possible for that specific patient. We observe the following items to make this decision:

• Position of the teeth in the mouth
• Alignment of the teeth
• Inclination
• Morphology
• Occlusal scheme based on the directions given by the clinician

If the diagnostic wax-up or esthetic wax-up is left to the lab's interpretation due to lack of information from the clinician and patient, then the preliminary observation will be all for naught. The more open a case is for interpretation, the less likely the patient's desired result will meet their expectations.

In addition, during the waxing process, it may be determined that due to functional issues, a case cannot be achieved as initially planned. For example, in cases where the vertical dimension is being opened if you are restoring the maxillary arch, after looking at the diagnostic wax-up one may find that there is no longer anterior contact with the lower front teeth. In a situation like this, the original plan to restore the anterior veneers will not work, and a new approach will need to be worked out. Perhaps, in this case, veneers will need to be changed to dental crowns or other procedures to establish proper contact.