Dentists refer to professional shade guides to choose the colour of your teeth when designing dental veneers, crowns, caps, or other restorative devices. Your natural teeth have their own colour, which the dentists will use as reference so the dental restorations do not look out of place in the mouth. For certain cosmetic procedures, dentists will ask for your input on which shades you want. Some patients prefer to have the shade match their natural tone, while others go for pearly white shades for Hollywood smile-type makeovers.
It’s very important to choose the right shade for your teeth. Tooth shade determines how natural or aesthetically effective treatments like dental veneers are. The appropriate tooth shade is part of the restorative treatment process.
Using a Tooth Shade Guide
Dentists use different guides for choosing teeth shades. The tooth shade guides first appeared in the eighties, and have since evolved significantly. The older shade guides had what were called B1 shades. But modern BL1 and BL2 shades for veneers and crowns appear more natural. Shade guides can differ depending on the technology used in the treatment process, such as E.max.
Dentists at Premium Dental Turkey use the “Vita Classical Teeth Shade Guide” to choose the best colour for your teeth. This guide is included in many at-home teeth whitening kits so some may already be familiar with it. The Vital Classical shade guide is commonly used when we design dental veneers, dental crowns, and dental bridges. It may also be used as a reference point for professional whitening treatments. You will be given the option to choose the shade you like from the guide. Don’t panic because we will show you before and after photos of your teeth to help you make the most suitable decision.
The natural shade of your teeth depends on both your genetics and environmental factors. This shade guide can be used for picking colours that best match your existing teeth. It also has pearly white shades for a more aesthetically appealing smile. This shade guide includes both natural and synthetic colours for teeth. The teeth shades are categorised into four in this guide:
A: reddish brown tooth colour
B: reddish yellow tooth colour
C: grey tooth shades
D: reddish grey tooth shades
The purest white the shade guide provides is labelled B1, and it looks less natural and more like the teeth shades shown in toothpaste commercials. Note that you don’t have to choose just one colour for all your teeth. Just as the natural tone of our teeth can differ between each, you can choose multiple shades within a category to make the procedures look as natural as possible.
It’s very easy to choose the shade you want because the guide has transitional shades helpfully phased out. A patient can identify the shades they like so the dentist can use the input when designing the treatment procedure. Dentists normally compare shades from the lightest to the darkest to match each tooth that requires restoration. The shade guide is used as a reference tool to monitor the progress of the design or the whitening process. Dentists may also use a reference guide to identify the original tooth shade. If discoloration is not an issue, then the original tooth shade may be used in the restoration process.
Choosing the Whitest Tooth Colours
Some patients prefer natural teeth colour to match that of veneers or crowns. But if you want to restore a smile without showing excessive yellowing or staining, you may consider this before you go for a whiter tooth shade. Your dentist will show you how to choose the right shades to match the existing teeth. The aim is to make the restoration or the professional teeth whitening look more natural and less synthetic. For professional teeth whitening or tooth bleaching, dentists are likely to recommend a shade in the BL range. These shades are some of the whitest available. Alongside existing teeth, this shade would stand out. If you are planning on Hollywood Smile BL1 is your tooth colour because it is the whitest shade.
Getting Results
While you can choose any shade you like from the guide, the outcome would depend on factors such as existing dental conditions and environmental conditions. Sometimes, teeth may not match the shade you want. Listen to your dentist’s advise to choose matching shades to deliver the results you want. Our dentists are friendly and will help you along in the process of choosing the right tooth shades. The shade guide will be provided completely free of charge.
Premium Dental Turkey Medical Reference | Written by Dr. Dt.Furkan Altinel & Ismail Kilic on 2018-03-21 16:09:43
