Eliminate the need for patients to travel to the laboratory!
Shade Matching to Natural Teeth is Complex…Not necessarily Complicated!
Many factors must be considered when trying to match an artificially fabricated prosthetic to a Natural tooth.
Natural teeth have many intrinsic properties, for example
Everyone talks about,
Hue (color) = this is the dominant range of wavelengths that in a visible spectrum that lets you see a perceived colour. The lower the intensity of Hue the more difficult it is to perceive.
Chroma (intensity) = How much of a particular colour is present. If you put 1 drop of orange into a container of white – how orange is it? Keep adding orange and the colour intensifies and becomes more saturated. An increase in Chroma or Colour saturation will decrease the Value.
Value (brightness) = is the amount of light that will reflect back to you from an illuminated object. Porcelain with less Chroma and less Translucency will increase a restorations brightness.
Translucency = How much light the tooth allows to pass through it.
Opalescence = The reflection of iridescent light which makes teeth appear to have varying colours especially in different light.
Fluorescence = How teeth absorb and radiate colour back to the viewer.
But truly, how many of you actually have an eye for colour or spend the necessary time with a patient taking detailed shades?
There is a simpler way that allows you to capture and process all this information with just one picture.
Shadewave and its predecessor ClearMatch is something we at DLA Lab have been using for over 15years with incredible success both here in Toronto, the GTA and across Canada.
In fact I would go as far as saying that our 1st time shade matching success is in the 90% range when using this technology.
All we need is a single (in focus) photograph of the tooth we are matching to, with a shade tab in the photo so that we can see the shade. (Contact us for complimentary training)
In traditional shade taking there are certain factors that can be detrimental to the accuracy of that process.
- Poor lighting that doesn’t allow for an accurate shade match
- Backgrounds that alter your perception of the shade of the tooth
- Faded shade guides that have been cleaned one too many times
- Taking too long to pick a shade and allowing the eyes to fatigue
- Matching shade at the end of an appointment when a tooth is more dehydrated
Using ShadeWave eliminates the background conditions from effecting the outcome – EXCEPT for (e) Always take the shade at the beginning of the appointment.
How ShadeWave works.
ShadeWave software has been pre programmed with most of the Shade Systems and their Shades. This Smart technology for example knows what makes up an A2 Shade, and analyzes that data against the shade tab and tooth in the photo sent by the Dr. It then takes that information adjusts the photo based on the lighting, the tab and the tooth. It then calculates the required shade and creates a detailed shade map that includes not only the VALUE (Brightness) of the tooth, but also the COLOUR(chroma) and the Incisal TRANSLUCENCY.
The result is a truly detailed shade map of the patients tooth that is unapparelled and arguably the most accurate shade matching tool in dentistry.
ShadeWave is available as an app on your Iphone or Desktop or directly through our Laboratory. No set up fee and no software required to purchase.
For more information, please contact Larry at Dental Laboratory Associates
(905)763-0055
(647) 967-0055