If you’re looking into dental crowns, you may know that modern ones don’t just protect teeth. They also match your enamel’s shade and blend seamlessly with the rest of your smile. But don’t you also want to learn how dentists color-match dental crowns? Grasping that point would help you feel more confident in your treatment, making the dental work smoother. The good news is that it’s pretty simple – keep reading to let your Milton dentist explain.
How Do Dentists Color-Match Dental Crowns?
Today’s dentists usually do three things to color-match a patient’s dental crown. These are the following:
They Check Your Tooth Under Natural Light
When deciding on a crown’s shade, a dentist will often check your tooth’s color under natural light. This step lets them get an accurate sense of your smile’s shade when it isn’t distorted. After all, incandescent lights are very yellow and tend to make colors appear differently. Trying to decide on your crown’s shade while under them would likely lead to mismatched results.
They Use a Dental Shade Guide
Aside from natural light, a dentist will also use a dental shade guide to decide your crown’s shade. This tool is a metal card with fake porcelain teeth of many hues, ranging from dark yellow to bright white. By holding it against your smile, the dentist can compare your tooth’s natural shade to the example colors. They can then (roughly) determine your tooth’s value and find the right hue and chroma.
They Reduce Contrast with Other Colors
As they compare your tooth against a shade guide, many dentists will reduce any contrast that interferes with color selection. That may take the form of placing a gray bib over any brightly-colored clothes you wear to your visit. Alternatively, it may involve removing any bright lipstick or makeup on your face. Either action removes nearby interferences, giving your dentists’ eyes a neutral resting place.
What’s Involved in the Actual Coloring?
By using the three tricks above, dentists can generally decide on a good color for your dental crown. They’ll start the actual coloring once they make their choice.
There are a few steps involved in the actual coloring of a dental crown. First, the dentist will send relevant details – drawings, photos, etc. – to a dental lab. This lab’s expert ceramist will then use the provided facts to create a color-matched dental crown. The final product won’t be perfect, but any color differences will be small enough that they’re nearly invisible. Once the dentist confirms that fact, they’ll place the crown on your tooth.
Now that you know how dentists color-match dental crowns, you can trust treatment more. Look into getting these special caps from your local dentist!
About the Practice
Milton Hill Dental is based in Milton, MA. Led by our many talented dentists, our practice takes immense pride in its high-quality and wide-ranging dental care! Our team offers preventive, cosmetic, and even restorative work, all tailored to your smile and its unique needs. We even place tooth-colored dental crowns that blend seamlessly with grins! For more details or to book a visit, reach us at our website or by phone at (201)-962-8452.