How This Case Study Is Organized
This case is presented in two parts. Part I provides a first-person clinician narrative combining the personal story with key clinical decisions. Part II follows with a deeper technical dive into smile
design parameters, materials, and workflow.
Part 1 - The Story
I first met Justin in 2020, but the changes to his smile had been developing quietly for years. Earlier in life, Justin experienced dental trauma resulting in the loss of tooth #12 and damage to #21. Like many patients, he adapted. (Fig. 1)
Over time, maxillary space loss led to arch constriction, lower crowding, and compensatory bite changes, including lower canines drifting into crossbite. Justin—confident, charismatic, and an exceptionally talented singer—developed a subtle habit of concealing his teeth.
When Justin chose to explore treatment, the goal was alignment rather than perfection. In collaboration with The Aurum Group, Proven Smile™ allowed us to preview tooth position, proportion, and facial harmony before irreversible dentistry. (Fig. 2)
Orthodontic therapy addressed long-standing structural adaptations, creating ideal conditions for implant placement at sites #12 and #21. Throughout restorative care, phonetics – particularly Justin’s voice- remained non-negotiable.
Clinically, the outcome reflects stable occlusion, healthy peri-implant tissues, and seamless esthetic integration. More importantly, Justin no longer hides his smile—and his voice remains exactly as it should be.
Part 2 - The Clinical Deep Dive
This case followed a facially driven, additive smile design approach prioritizing esthetics, phonetics, and function before irreversible treatment. Proven Smile™ supported validation through digital models, overlays, antagonist analysis, and cross-sectional measurements. (Fig. 4-5)
Key Smile Parameters
• Maxillary central incisor length: 10.749 mm
• Maxillary central incisor width: 8.686 mm
• Overjet: 0.411 mm
• Overbite: 2.022 mm
Soft tissue planning supported gingival refinement involving teeth 11, 21, and 22 to ensure long-term esthetic stability.
Materials & Workflow at a Glance
Design & Diagnostic: Aurum NaturalLook® Proven Smile™, diagnostic wax-ups, printed full-arch models, digital impressions.
Provisional: Natural milled temporaries and shell provisionals fabricated from the approved Proven Smile™ design.
Final Restorations: Straumann Ti-base abutments with Aurum Esthetic zirconia multi-unit crowns on teeth #12 and #21, including custom abutment
modification, anodization, and opacity management.
Implant Components: Straumann RC analogs, repositionable components, RC temporary titanium abutment (7 × 12 mm), and screw-retained architecture.
By validating esthetics, function, soft tissue, and phonetics in advance, this workflow ensured a predictable restorative outcome supporting both
longevity and personal identity.
