Abstract:
In contemporary dentistry, restoring a patient’s dental aesthetics is one of the most
relevant issues. New materials and treatment methods are constantly being developed
to achieve this purpose. Direct and indirect aesthetic restorations play a significant role
in improving oral aesthetics and are continually evolving to provide more satisfactory
results, thus becoming one of the prominent options for aesthetic restorative
procedures. The direct veneer is made directly in the patient’s mouth and, in this case,
the material of choice is composite resin. The indirect veneer, presented here, has a
laboratory stage, that is, it is made on a working model, with the material of choice
being dental ceramics. A careful analysis of the distinct characteristics of these two
techniques is of vital importance for adequate selection and application in each clinical
case. This work aims to carry out a comparative study, based on an analysis of detailed
data about the materials used, analyzing their compositions, properties, advantages,
disadvantages, indications, and contraindications, as well as the careful evaluation and
comparison between both techniques. The research was carried out using articles and
books published between 2003 and 2023, in the following databases: SciELO,
Pubmed, Minha Biblioteca FacMais and Google Scholar. 32 articles and 4 books were
selected to compose the study. We concluded that it is possible to obtain satisfactory
results with both the direct and indirect techniques, as long as there is a correct
diagnosis, adequate selection of the technique and the implementation of a wellstructured treatment plan. Furthermore, it is essential to have in-depth scientific
knowledge, mastery of appropriate techniques and skills.