Purpose: To determine whether a significant dimensional difference in labial soft tissue could be produced by maxillary anterior tooth restorations with diverse labial thicknesses.
Materials and methods: Changes in the contour of the lips in each participant produced by provisional restorations with different labial thicknesses (1-4 mm) compared to baseline (0 mm) were assessed using 3D software and using a visual analog scale by a group of prosthodontists and a group of laypeople.
Results: Significant enhancements in 3D deviation compared to baseline were present when the participants were wearing the labial provisional restorations. Negative correlations for labial thickness with nasolabial angle and distance from upper lip to E-plane measurements were found. However, the changes were most pronounced for the prosthodontist and laypeople groups when the labial veneer thickness was 2 mm or more.
Conclusion: Prosthodontists and laypeople hardly recognized the lip profile changes when labial provisional restorations were below 2 mm. Therefore, restorations with limited labial thickness had a weak esthetic impact on lip morphology.
