One critical step in the porcelain laminate technique is the achievement of sufficient ceramic thickness. At least two different strategies for tooth preparation can be found in the literature: (1) earlier simplified techniques included the use of depth cutters guided by the existing tooth surface-however, that approach did not take into consideration alterations of the tooth owing to aging, wear, or loss of enamel and thus led to greater risks for dentin exposures; (2) more recent and sophisticated methods have integrated an additive diagnostic procedure (ie, wax-up or mock-up) to compensate for tooth aging or severe existing loss of tooth substance. This approach allows for more enamel preservation and, as a consequence, more predictable bonding, biomechanics, and esthetics. The present article illustrates in detail the latest development in tooth preparation for porcelain laminates. This technique combines the time efficiency of earliest methods with the rationale and diagnostic foundations of the more recent techniques.
Clinical significance: Using this new laminate porcelain preparation approach, clinicians should be able to produce not only more accurate preparations, but also higher-quality tooth preparations in a time-efficient fashion.