laboratory news
SHADE
COMMUNICATION
by Kyle Swan, CDT
he esthetic demands placed on today’s restorative
dental practice are growing greater and greater. As
patients become more informed and discerning
consumers, their expectations for natural looking,
esthetically pleasing restorations are on the rise.
Even when working with the best dental laboratories, proper
shade taking and conveyance is crucial.
T
Those offices who cannot rely on an in house technician, or can’t
send their patient to their laboratory due to geography, need a
systematic approach to shading. Giving the ceramist the best possible information helps them produce the best result. The trick
is to give them what they need.
There are three main components to a positive outcome: The information has to be gathered accurately, conveyed properly and
then executed consistently. Listed for simplification: taking,
conveying and executing.
The shade taking process can be very involved, but these tips for
each of the three components will help make it easier:
Taking
Rest your eyes. Look at something neutral and relax. This is an
important part of the patient’s appointment, try not to rush.
Take the shade before teeth are prepared. Dry teeth can
look brighter and cause extrinsic effects to become much more
pronounced, leading to a false perception of the shade.
Use Vita’s 3D Master shade guide. It may seem intimidating
at first, but it offers a systematic approach. Once you are comfortable with it, it is hard to imagine using anything else.
Start with value. Without going over the three components
(value, chroma, and hue) of the aforementioned shade system in
detail, just remember the most important is value or gray scale.
When this is incorrect, it is easily recognized by patients, even if
they are not sure how to describe the problem.
Conveying
Use a good camera. It’s worth the investment. Using an intraoral or phone camera just won’t cut it. There are many places that
have preconfigured dental camera set ups for sale. Unless you
prefer to find all the components yourself, the slight up charge
can be worth it for the resource alone.
Hold the shade tab under the tooth that is being
matched. Many people want to put the tab over the temporary,
or in the space for a future implant-supported crown. This isn’t
helpful.
Hold the tab in the same plane as the tooth. When photographing the tabs, if the tab is too far in front on the tooth it can
look brighter. Conversely, if it is too far back it can look too dark.
Use cheek retractors. Shadows can be misleading. Light needs
to fully illuminate the teeth being matched. Patients don’t love
cheek retractors, but it’s a half measure to not use them. There
are many on the market. Non-colored plastic ones work best.
Executing
Work with a good laboratory. Sending great information to
a laboratory that is ill-equipped to produce great work leaves
both parties frustrated.
Be prepared to spend more for custom work. As in most
cases in life, you get what you pay for. There are a lot of talented
ceramists who can do great color work, but they are still in the
minority, and they generally command higher fees.
Build a relationship with your lab. Custom shading, whether
done in the lab or dental office, is challenging. Clinicians and
technicians who both want an exceptional result and have an
open dialogue tend to have the best outcomes.
Just like bad or incomplete impressions lead to poorly fitting
restorations, incomplete or bad shade information leads to “ugly
crowns”. Taking the time to gather the right kind of information
leads to the best results and therefore happier patients.
Kyle Swan, CDT is Owner/Managing Partner of
Functional Esthetics,Inc. in Lewisville, Texas. Kyle
has been a ceramist for over 20 years after studying
art at the University of North Texas. He is a member
of the American Equilibration Society, Society for
Color and Appearance in Dentistry, the AACD, and
the Dental Advisor Alliance.
www.houstondentistrymagazine.com
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HOUSTON DENTISTRY
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