Discolored dental substrates continue to challenge the restorative team when ultraconservative treatment modalities are chosen. An innovative laboratory concept - the parallel stratification masking technique - has been developed in order to achieve maximum preservation of dental hard tissues and predictably accomplish a desirable esthetic outcome. The major advantages of this technique are that the ceramist is able to: a) identify and map the discolored dental substrate, b) predictably mask the discolored dental substrate, and c) assess the appropriate masking efficacy of the fabricated restoration prior to laboratory delivery to the dentist in cases of bonded porcelain restorations.