Emergence Profile Creation with CAD Technology on Vertical Edgeless Preparation (VEP)

Abstract

This article proposes a digital procedure to create the emergence profile of prosthetic crowns for teeth prepared with the Vertical Edgeless Preparation (VEP) technique. This technique extends the tooth preparation below the gingival margin on the root surface of teeth with reduced periodontal attachment. The tooth prepared according to this technique does not present a defined prosthetic margin or the relative finishing line. Still, it shows an edgeless axial wall that emerges from the gingival sulcus. The digital procedure for creating a prosthetic emergence profile, although representing a novelty in absolute terms, is based on traditional concepts, as they have been known and described in the literature for a long time. This article will explain and review the various clinical and laboratory steps necessary to produce, through an entirely digital procedure, a fixed partial denture composed of three zirconia elements, which are going to be subsequently veneered in a traditional way on the vestibular side to improve the esthetic appearance.

Keywords

• VEP
• prosthodontics
• CAD/CAM
• digital dentistry
• emergence profile