This article discusses the procedures essential for providing an upscale, quality esthetic service with removable prostheses. Effective strategies to eliminate unsightly clasp assemblies with removable partial dentures are described.

Shade matching is inherently complex and involves understanding the science of color, determining the shade and surface characteristics of teeth, and communicating this information to the laboratory technician. The laboratory technician then has the difficult task of mimicking the selected shade and ultimately reproducing it in the final restoration.

Many contemporary restorative procedures are primarily esthetically driven, and patients have high expectations. It is imperative for the restorative dentist to understand patients' desires and expectations prior to initiating irreversible therapy. It is equally important for patients to understand the anatomic and technical limitations inherent with restorative therapy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE This article describes several relatively straightforward techniques that can assist in dentist‐patient‐dentist communication and allow the patient to visualize a reasonable facsimile of the definitive result prior to initiation of irreversible therapy. By using these techniques where indicated, the frustrating cycle of rejection and failure may be avoided.

Provisional restorations fulfill many functions in restorative dentistry. Quality provisional restorations can provide the clinician, the patient, and the laboratory technician much valuable information prior to fabrication of the definitive restoration. Such diagnostic provisional restorations fabricated with acrylic resin are easily adjusted and modified until both esthetic and functional results are approved by the patient. Once this approval has been obtained, the definitive restorations can be fabricated with confidence, using the esthetic form of the provisional restorations as a blueprint. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCERoutine use of provisional restorations for esthetic diagnostic purposes can prevent the destructive cycle of failure and frustration frequently experienced when performing elective esthetic restorative dentistry.( J Esthet Dent 12:238-247,2000) n spite of the fact that a famous 'Clinical Associate Professor,