DR.

TALHA TANVEER
MCLINDENT F&R
PROSTHODONTICS
(UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER)
SENIOR REGISTRAR (BUMDC)
COLOR REPLICATION PROCESS
 LIGHT
“Visible electromagnetic energy whose wavelength is measured
in nanometers (nm)”
The eye is only sensitive to the visible portion of the spectrum
(700nm -400 nm)
 COLOR RENDERING INDEX (CRI)
Indicates how well a particular light source renders color in
comparison with a specific standard source (natural
daylight)
 CRI = scale of 1 to 100
 TYPES/QUALITY OF LIGHT
 Incandescent Light
 Fluorescent Light
 Natural Daylight

Most dental offices are fitted with incandescent and

fluorescent lights
 INCANDESCENT LIGHT
 Emits high concentration of yellow waves
 Not suitable for shade matching
 Low Color Rendering Index (CRI)
 FLUORESCENT LIGHT
 Emits high concentration of blue waves
 Not suitable for shade matching
 CRI = (50-80)
 NATURAL DAYLIGHT
 Northern daylight considered the best
 Closest to emittng the full spectrum of white light
 Used a the standard by which to judge other light
sources
 CRI close to100
A light source with a color temperature close to 5500 K that is spectrally
balanced throughout the visible spectrum is ideal for color matching.
 CRI AND TIME OF DAY
 Morning = rich in yellow/orange lacks blue/green
 Evening = rich in blue/green lacks yellow/orange
 Mid-day hours around noon = ideal > Full
spectrum of colors visible
 COLOR
“The light reflected back to our eyes”
Without Light Colour Does Not Exist

Influenced by three main factors

 Physical properties of the object
 Assessment of the observer
 Nature of incident light
 Relationship to other colored objects
 ATTRIBUTES OF COLOR
 Hue > Variety of color
 Chroma > Saturation or intensity of Hue

 Value > Relative lightness or brightness

 HUE
Variety of colour
 CHROMA
Saturation or intensity of Hue

High
Chrom
a

Low
Chrom
a
 VALUE
Relative lightness or brightness

High
Value

Low
Value
 METAMERISM
Happens when an object seems to be a color match under
one lighting condition but appears different when
matched under a different light.
 SHADE MATCHING
 Visual
 Shade guides (aided with Handheld lights)
 Instrumental
 Spectrophotometers / Colorimeters
 SHADE GUIDES
 Most convenient and common method of making
shade selections
 Guides consist of shade tabs

– metal backing
– opaque porcelain
– neck, body, and incisal color
 Select tab with the most natural intraoral appearance
Commercial Shade
Guides
 Demetron Shade Light handheld
fluorescent light

The Rite-Lite 2
Shade
Matching
Light device
 SHADE MATCHING Contd…
 Visual
 Shade guides (aided with Handheld lights)
 Instrumental
 Spectrophotometers / Colorimeters
Crystaleye Spectrophotometer
Vita Easyshade Advance
OPTISHADE Style-Italiano
 SHADE SELECTION
 Tabs Of Similar Hue Are
Clustered Into Letter groups
– A (red-yellow)
– B (yellow)
– C (grey)
– D (red-yellow-gray)
 Chroma Is Designated With
Numerical Values (1, 2, 3, 4)
 e.g. A3 = Hue Of red‐yellow,
Chroma of 3
 SHADE SELECTION
Hue Matching
 Recommended technique: Hue > Chroma > Value
 Selecting hue by matching samples with high chroma (e.g., A4,
B4, C4, or D3) to a tooth with high chroma (i.e., canine).
 If the chroma or intensity is low, accurately determining a given
hue may be difficult. Therefore, the region with the highest
chroma (i.e., the cervical region of canines) should be used for
initial hue selection
 SHADE SELECTION
Chroma Selection
 Once the hue is selected, the best chroma match is chosen. For example,
if a B hue is determined to be the best match for color variety, four
gradations (tabs) of that hue are available: B1, B2, B3, and B4
 Several comparisons are usually necessary for determining which sample
best represents the hue and its corresponding chroma (saturation) level.
 Between comparisons, glancing at a gray object rests the operator’s eyes
and helps avoid retinal cone fatigue.
 SHADE SELECTION
Value Selection
 Value is determined with a guide whose samples are arranged in
order of increasing lightness.
 Value can be assessed most effectively by observing from a
distance, standing slightly away from the chair, and squinting
the eyes. Squinting reduces the amount of light that reaches the
retina. While squinting, the observer concentrate on which
disappears from sight first: the tooth or the shade tab. The one
that fades first has the lower value
 GUIDELINES FOR SHADE
SELECTION
 Shade matching should be made under balanced lighting and in an appropriate
shade-matching environment with gray or pastel-colored walls and cabinets.
 Anything on the patient that influences the shade matching, including brightly
colored clothing, should be draped, and lipstick should be removed.
 The teeth to be matched should be clean. Stains should be removed by
prophylactic treatment.
 Shade matching should be made at the beginning of a patient’s visit. Tooth color
increases in value when the teeth are dry, particularly if a rubber dam has been
used.
 Cheek retractors should be used to provide an unhindered intraoral shade-
matching area.
 Contd…
 The dentist can use multiple shade guides & confirm the shade under several different
lightings.
 Patient should be viewed at eye level so that the most color-sensitive part of the dentist’s
retina is used. The viewing working distance should be approximately 25 cm (10 inches).
 If the tooth and shade tab have different surface characteristics, wetting the surface of both
helps remove the differences.
 Shade matching should be made quickly, with the shade tab placed directly next to the
tooth being matched. The dentist should be aware of eye fatigue, particularly if very bright
fiber-optic illumination has been used.
 The dentist should rest his or her eyes between viewings by focusing on a neutral gray
surface immediately before a matching; this balances all the color sensors of the retina.
 Contd…
 To select the appropriate hue, the canine tooth is recommended for
comparison because it has the highest chroma of the dominant hue.
 The dentist can select an appropriate value by squinting.
 Confirm the shade with an auxiliary staff member.
 If an exact match cannot be selected, a shade tab with the lower chroma and
highest value should be selected because extrinsic characterization can be
used to increase chroma and reduce the value
 The dentist should map the polychromatic nature of the tooth being matched
i.e. its special characteristics (e.g., cracks, hypocalcification, and
translucency of the incisal enamel of the tooth)
Shade Mapping
 ERRORS
 Underlying metal
 Batch of porcelain powder
 Incompatibility of shade guide with porcelain shades
 Brand of porcelain
 Number of firings
QUESTIONS ???