waxup

A wax-up, also written wax-up or wax-up model, is a three-dimensional wax representation of the planned final dentition used in dentistry to visualize and plan restorations. It is created on a patient’s diagnostic cast or from a digital scan and serves as a tangible prototype for esthetic and functional decision making before tooth preparation or fabrication.

The primary purposes of a wax-up are to aid treatment planning, communicate intent to the patient and the dental laboratory, and provide a guide for eventual provisional restorations. It helps clinicians assess tooth proportions, smile line, incisal edge position, occlusal relationships, and emergence profiles. Wax-ups can be diagnostic (to evaluate aesthetic outcomes and feasibility) or served as a working blueprint for complex rehabilitations, such as crowns, veneers, bridges, full-arch reconstructions, or implant restorations. In implant cases, a surgical or restorative wax-up can influence the design of guides or provisional restorations.

Process and variations: a diagnostic wax-up is typically created on a cast, with the clinician sculpting the proposed final anatomy using modeling wax. In some workflows, a digital wax-up is generated with computer-aided design (CAD) software, then either milled or printed for use as a physical guide or integrated with a digital workflow for provisional fabrication. A provisional wax-up may be produced directly from the wax model to trial function and esthetics in the patient.

Benefits include improved esthetic predictability and communication, reduced chair time, and better lab coordination. Limitations involve dependence on operator skill and the need for subsequent adjustments after tooth preparation.