Spectrophotometers, shade guides, and color perception and its relation to digital shade matching in restorative dentistry

---

Al Bandary al Ferm
 

Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Saudi Arabia

: Dent Health Curr Res

Abstract

---

Achieving an aesthetically pleasing appearance in dental restorations is a complex task that depends on the accurate selection of tooth shade. The shade of a tooth is influenced by both intrinsic factors, such as light scattering within enamel and dentin, and extrinsic factors, such as the absorption of staining substances. As patient awareness and expectations regarding aesthetically attractive dental restorations have grown, so too has the pressure on dentists to deliver more naturally appearing results. Conventional approaches have often shifted towards artistic interpretation, but advances in materials and technology have prompted a shift towards more scientifically rigorous methods. Despite the availability of advanced devices for shade matching, their adoption remains low. Studies suggest that electronic tools can measure up to 100,000 dental shades, far surpassing the human eye’s ability to detect only 1% of dental color variations. This paper calls for more research to examine the accuracy of various shade-selection techniques in meeting the rising aesthetic expectations in modern dentistry.

Biography

---

Al Bandary al Ferm is a consultant restorative in Prince Sultan Medical Military City in Riyadh.