What a digital wax-up is
A wax-up is a proposal for the final shape of the teeth. Traditionally it is built in wax on a stone model; in a digital workflow it is designed in CAD on the patient's scan. The result is a 3D file that can be reviewed on screen, printed as a model or used to make a mock-up for the patient to try.
Because the wax-up is digital, the same design can be reused later: as the starting point for veneers or crowns, as a reference for a reduction guide or simply as an archived record of what was agreed.
When labs and clinics use one
- Showing a patient the planned result before any preparation
- Aesthetic anterior cases with veneers or crowns
- Restoring worn teeth where the new tooth shape needs to be agreed first
- Planning preparations so reduction follows the final shape
- Communication between clinician, lab and patient on the same file
What to send us
Send the scans of both arches with a bite registration, plus clinical photos if you have them — a smile photo and a retracted view help show the patient's face, lip line and midline. Describe the goal in plain words: lengthen, close gaps, correct shape, match an existing tooth. Note any teeth that must not change.
Tell us how the wax-up will be used. A file for printing a model, a file for a mock-up matrix and a file that will later become a restoration can need different preparation, so the intended use avoids rework.
From wax-up to final restoration
Once the clinician and patient have approved the wax-up, it becomes the reference for the next steps. Preparations can be planned against it, and the final veneers or crowns can be designed from the approved shape instead of starting again. Any clinical try-in and final decisions remain with the clinician.
On our price list a wax-up is $12 per tooth with a 24-hour turnaround, and revisions are included until you approve the design.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a digital wax-up cost?
- $12 per tooth on our price list, with a 24-hour turnaround on routine cases.
- Can the wax-up be printed?
- Yes. We can prepare the wax-up as a printable model file for a mock-up or a presentation model.
- Can the approved wax-up become the final restoration design?
- Yes. The approved shape can be used as the starting point for veneer or crown design, so the agreed result is carried through.