Plaster Setup vs. 3D Setup
All laboratory processes to create a plaster orthodontic setup consist of cutting and realigning the teeth in plaster models. An example of a technique to build an orthodontic setup model and a method to evaluate it is described in the article Preparation and Evaluation of Orthodontic Setup published in the Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics.
A digital 3D setup image of the dentition is created using computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology. A good example of using CAD/CAM technology for the diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of orthodontic appliances is suresmile®. As of today, suresmile software provides the most advanced state-of-the-art decision support tools for 3D diagnostics and treatment planning.
Although processes to create a plaster orthodontic setup and a 3D orthodontic setup are completely different, their key principles are the same: to provide valuable information for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Orthodontic setups allow for the performance of many different analyses that aid orthodontic treatment planning.
Orthodontic setup alignment follows both aesthetic and functional principles to design the best possible smile and anterior dental esthetic, and to accomplish adequate dental intercuspation in the posterior segment of the dental arches.
If you are an orthodontic technician who would like to learn about the smile and its implications in clinical orthodontics, you will enjoy reading the Smile Designing in Orthodontics article published in The Orthodontic CYBERjournal. To better understand different smile design parameters taken into account for planning any smile design procedure in orthodontics, see the article The Esthetic Zone of Smile published in the Virtual Journal of Orthodontics. In addition, the article The Six Keys to a Normal Occlusion further elaborates on ideal occlusion. Unfortunately, this article is only available for purchase.