The dental Aesthetics It has more and more value in dentistry, and knowing how to take color is very important when we talk about dental aesthetics. Color is one of the most important parameters for the patient when judging the work done by his dentist, especially in the anterior sector. Since what patients want is that the color of the restoration remains the same as the natural tooth. In addition, the dentist must have the ability, not only to correctly evaluate tooth color, but also to communicate it to the dental technician who is the one who will make the definitive prosthesis.
exist different factors that condition the color taking, such as: variables in the illumination that generate a bad perception of color, different color taking systems, experience, age, eye fatigue, psychological fatigue, among others. These different factors could contribute to poor color matching and lead to errors.
To determine the color, three dimensions of color must be taken into account:
- Hue or hue: corresponds to the perception of the wavelength of light reflected from objects and encoded in the various colors. (Red Green Blue).
- Value or luminosity: refers to the brightness, luminosity, clarity of a color. Determine the amount of light reflected by a certain color.
- Chroma or saturation: is the degree of intensity, concentration, quantity or purity of the pigments, that is, from more vivid to more discolored, but without changing the value.
On the other hand, we have the translucency, is a fourth dimension of color, and plays an important role in the phenomenon of light transmission. Translucency is important when assessing shade, because natural teeth are translucent and translucency is directly related to the perception of value. The aesthetic value of a ceramic dental restoration is partially influenced by translucency and color. Translucency is different for each material, because light passes through each material with different degrees of transmission and refraction, producing different clinical appearance in relation to the material used.
There are different factors that influence the selection of color:
- Atmosphere: The office walls should be neutral colors, such as gray, light green, since very strong colors can influence the perception of color
- Observer: The patient must be at the same level as the observer’s eyes and at a distance of 60 cm³. The teeth must be moist, since dry teeth do not reflect light well, they must be clean, so that it does not interfere with the selection of the color. The color selection should be quick, it has to be done between 5 and 7 seconds, to avoid visual fatigue.
- Ambient light: The light source can affect the value of the colors, certain colors remain unchanged, but others appear darker or lighter. The ideal light for the color taking should be the one that is closest to the light spectrum of daytime sunlight. The practice must be properly lit, trying to reach the same spectrum of natural light. Observation under two different light sources (natural and artificial) is also recommended in order to further ensure the color decision.
- Color guide: There are different types of shade guides to represent the natural color range of the tooth. The color of the natural tooth is compared with an artificial guide and it is verified which sample of the guide is the one that most closely resembles the tooth to be treated.
Finally, all this information will be transmitted to the laboratory clearly and explicitly, it can be accompanied by photographs of the patient’s teeth with the shade guide so that the laboratory can see more clearly the color we want for our restoration.
