Pretreatment wax-ups and provisionals for restorative dentistry.

One of the most important factors in restorative success is the preparation of a case prior to treatment. Case planning, constructing the wax-up and provisional restorations, and understanding the potential problems with a case prior to beginning can only ensure a higher degree of success than would be achieved by not employing these basic restorative steps. Although it is not utilized generally, the wax-up can be of immense value to any restorative dentist for cases of all kinds, ranging from a single tooth to full-mouth reconstruction.