If you ask many dentists why they decided to get into the profession, they will tell you it’s because they enjoy combining art and science. There are few treatments that capture this merger than dental crowns. Ensuring that the crowns seamlessly blend with the natural color of the surrounding teeth is difficult. Achieving this color consistency requires precision and skill.
If you want to learn how dentists use modern technology to color-match dental crowns, continue reading.
Understanding Tooth Coloration
Before discussing dental crown color matching, you should have a basic understanding of how teeth get their color. Natural teeth have a wide range of colors, including shades of white, yellow, gray, and undertones like blue or pink. Additionally, factors like age, genetics, and lifestyle habits can influence tooth color, making each patient’s dental palette unique.
Why Does Color Matching Matter?
A successful dental crown not only restores the function of a damaged tooth but also blends with the surrounding teeth. Poor color matching can result in a restoration that stands out, which could cause embarrassment or stress for the patient. Therefore, achieving color consistency is important for creating natural-looking crowns that “disappear” into the patient’s smile.
How Do Dentists Color Match Crowns?
There are several methods and strategies that dentists can use to choose the perfect shade for your crown. However, there’s hardly ever a case where just one will do the trick:
- Shade Guides: Dentists may first use shade guides. These consist of a range of tooth-colored tabs, to compare and match the patient’s teeth.
- Natural Lighting: Dentists perform color-matching procedures under natural lighting conditions whenever possible. Natural light provides the most accurate representation of tooth color, allowing dentists to select the best shade for the dental crown.
- Digital Technology: In addition to traditional shade guides, dentists may utilize digital technologies such as spectrophotometers or colorimeters to get more exact colors. These devices measure the hue, value, and chroma of the patient’s teeth.
- Custom Shade Creation: When your crown is sent to a dental lab for fabrication, the technicians will need to create a custom color. This involves blending multiple shades of dental ceramic materials to replicate the subtleties of your natural teeth.
- Patient Feedback: During the color-matching process, dentists actively involve patients in the decision-making process. You will always get the chance to provide feedback on the color of your dental crown. This ensures that your preferences are always considered.
So, now you can see that dental crown color matching is a process that requires careful attention to detail. Dentists use many pieces of technology and varying strategies to achieve seamless results for dental crowns. Ultimately, their goal is to create a customized restoration that you can wear with pride.
About the Author
If you need a dental crown that really “wows” visit Dr. George Keanna at Natural Dental Services. His mission is to provide every patient with a smile they can be proud of, and he uses ultramodern dental technology to do that. Dr. Keanna earned his dental degree from the Georgetown University School of Dentistry. Since then, he has expanded his knowledge through continuing education and multiple professional organizations. Call (505) 292-8533 to schedule an appointment or visit the website to explore other services.