“Thanks for the great work and the wonderful attention to detail!! I'm truly proud of my patient's smiles!!!”
— Dr. Jennifer Siwula – Gill, socttsdale, PA
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Perfectly matching the shades of adjacent teeth,
especially on anterior teeth, is challenging at best—
in fact—it can be a nightmare for us both. With
more patients tightening their belts for the time
being, due to the economy, we are seeing more single
unit restorations when a tooth has broken or has
other problems. In the past, most of our doctors were
able to encourage the patients to restore multiple,
adjacent teeth to achieve the most aesthetic results.
Many still do, but if it’s not in the cards for your
patient right now, here are some tips to follow:
Always take the shades PRIOR to
beginning to work on the patient. Within minutes
of having their mouth open the adjacent teeth
become dehydrated and the shade becomes lighter.
Be sure you are taking shades in an
operatory with color-corrected lighting (like we
have here at Becden). Call me if you need a good
contact to purchase bulbs—Paul gives our clients
a great price.
Using a hand-held
magnified shade light, as pictured here, can
improve your ability to choose the shade. We sell
the light here for $89—a worthwhile investment.
 Shade light in use
Have several people in your
office help with taking the shade, especially females, who typically see color better than men.
Many more men than women suffer from color
blindness (sorry).
Send clear photographs to
photos@becdendental.com with the shade tab
held in the same plane as the long axis of the
tooth. Make sure we can see the writing on the
tab handle. Check your lighting to be sure the
flash has not washed out the shot. Sometimes it is
better to turn off the ring flash. If possible, hold
three shade tabs in place designating; incisal,
body, and gingival colors, noting which is which.
Hold shade tab parallel to tooth
For all-porcelain
restorations it’s very important for us to know the
color of the prepped tooth. Send the same type
of photo of the prep with a shade guide in place.
Chromoscope guides seem to have the most variety
of colors to choose from. If the prep is extremely
dark (or varies greatly from the adjacent prepped
teeth) we will have better success if the prep is
blocked out at the chair with a composite material
that matches the other prepared teeth.
More is better! The more you
can describe the end result you’re looking for,
the better the case will turn out. Color-mapped
drawings are great. Also, let us know if we should
follow or improve upon existing characterizations;
ie. mottling, craze lines, irregular incisal edges.
Teamwork and communication are the foundations
in all dentist / technician relationships and most
critical in providing a product you are proud to put
into the mouths of your patients. Please call our
Technical Support Department if you have questions,
comments, or suggestions about this article.
Educational DVD
Dr. Ed Miller’s Live Patient,
10-unit, Anterior Cosmetic Case
“Dr. Ed Miller, who has been Becden’s technical
Advisor and Clinical Educator for the past 12 years,
has trained hundreds of our clients on the technical
intricacies of creating beautiful Smile Makeovers.
The simplified, systemized, and predictable
techniques shown in this video demonstrate how
doctors and assistants can save valuable time at the
chair, be prepared to handle unexpected situations,
stay focused on each step of the procedure, and
WOW their patients with aesthetic temporaries
created chair side in less than 15 minutes. A simple,
rapid cementation technique shares numerous
“gems” with both seasoned and just learning doctors”.
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131 E. 13065 S.
Draper, UT 84020 |
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888-344-9991 toll-free
801-576-9991 phone |
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The editor of this newsletter is Emily Webb of Becden Dental Laboratory, Inc. Please send any questions or comments about this newsletter, or suggestions for articles to: emilyw@becdendental.com
©2008 BECDEN Dental Laboratory, Inc. |
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Technical Tip: Shade Taking For Optimum Results
