Objective To explore the effect of digital guide plate-assisted minimally invasive porcelain veneers on aesthetic restoration effect in patients with severe anterior tooth discoloration combined with tooth defect. Methods A total of 88 patients with severe anterior tooth discoloration and tooth defect admitted to the Department of Stomatology, Hai'an People’s Hospital from January 2024 to February 2025 were selected. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the control group and the observation group , with 44 patients in each group. The control group received minimally invasive porcelain veneer restoration with conventional tooth preparation, and the observation group received digital guide plate-assisted minimally invasive porcelain veneer restoration. The clinical efficacy, aesthetic restoration effect, complications and intervention satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results There was no significant difference in the total effective rate between the two groups (P >0.05). The markedly effective rate of the observation group (95.45%) was higher than that of the control group (77.27%) (P <0.05). The scores of color matching, discoloration improvement and marginal adaptation in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). There was no significant difference in morphological score between the two groups (P >0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups (P >0.05). The intervention satisfaction rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion For patients with severe anterior tooth discoloration and tooth defect, digital guide plate-assisted minimally invasive porcelain veneer restoration can improve treatment effect. It achieves high aesthetic restoration effect and patient satisfaction, without increasing the risk of complications, making it worthy of clinical application.