Shading: The Professional Standard for Your Practice! Issaquah Dental Lab has X-Rite Shadevision™ and Clearmatch™! Click on the logo above to read about these exciting new technologies!

Six Steps for Shade Matching

Females are rarely color-blind, however, 50% of males are color-blind in some area or color range. For this reason it would be advisable to have a female present during shade taking, and or take a color-blindness test if you are male.

1. TAKE THE SHADE 1ST THING, BEFORE INJECTION OR PREPPING.

All teeth DRAMATICALLY change color during prepping, INCLUDING surrounding and adjacent teeth, so PLEASE take your shades prior to any work on the patient. If the shade is not taken at the beginning of the procedure, have the patient return after 24 hours for shading. This will allow the teeth time to regain moisture and true color.

2. TURN THE OPERATORY LIGHT OFF

Not just pointed away.

3. SET THE CHAIR AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE

This uses 50% of your color corrected florescent light, and 50% of the available daylight.

4. NO SHADOWS

Have an assistant hold back the lips with their hands very close to the face, so as not to cast shadows on the teeth being shading.

5. DISTANCE

The person taking the shades should hold the shade tab at arms length. It is easier to see color & value of teeth at a distance.

6. POSTION OF THE SHADE TAB

Place the incisal of the shade tab against the incisal of the tooth being matched. The reasoning is difficult to explain on paper, so please call.

Using these six simple techniques routinely on every case will greatly improve the end result, making a much happier patient, and fewer remakes for the doctor. We advise at no charge, a personal in office consultation for a more indepth application of these six steps, and how they apply to your color and lighting situations.

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