Abstract
Digital technologies are more commonly used in dental prosthetics, especially in the field of aesthetics and in determining the color of future prosthetic restoration. The color actually represents the interaction between the object and its illumination. Optical display of teeth and color determination is different in relation to other objects, because it depends on their chemical composition and on the layout of several different building layers. Natural teeth have an inner opaque dentine layer which is concealed with a translucent layer of enamel substance. The tooth has a rounded surface that further increases the effect of light scattering from hydroxyapatite crystals. Hence, teeth in humans differ considerably in their opacities, translucency and fluorescence. Determining the color of natural teeth and its reproduction is sometimes a difficult and complicated process and the transfer of color information to the dental technician also.The aim of the paper is to describe the procedures for determining the color of natural teeth in prosthetics and to point out their advantages and disadvantages. This process, even today, in everyday clinical practice, is based on the subjective visual method for color evaluation by successive comparison with color keys, under the most appropriate environmental conditions. The disadvantages and inconsistency of this procedure are the reason for the emergence of instrumental determinations with the aid of appliances-colorimeters and spectrophotometers. Spectrophotometers are easy to operate, and the selection process with them is objective and accurate. In their surroundings and light sources should not be influential factors. Of course, certain problems arise in the instrument selection of the color, especially in the devices that determine the color of one tooth point with an area of 3 mm square, so the instruments that make the chromatic map and measure on a larger surface are more reliable in the results. Today, various digital software programs are more commonly used, they digitally display the tooth (obtained by a digital or mobile camera) process and give color value which can be sent in real time in the dental laboratory. Digital display can also be obtained with the help of high resolution cameras installed on mobile phones, and the software applications can determine the color of the teeth on the photos. The color is compared with familiar, previously entered color keys, with the possibility to install additional. A detailed map of the tooth is made and the color and the transcription are determined. The improvement of mobile phones by incorporating high quality digital cameras and the possibility of installing software programs is the reason that mobile applications for determining the color with the possibility of data transfer to the dental laboratory are used more frequently in the last years. Chromatcher, T Shade, Tooth Shade Recognition, VITA Shade Assist and Tooth Configurator can determine the color and shape of the teeth, and they are some of the most common applications that allow doctor / patient / dental technician interaction.Color determination with smartphone applications and comparison with existing color systems is a procedure that could be of great benefit, primarily because of availability, ease of use and high resolution cameras, but further testing should be carried out. When the doctor and the technician succeed in mastering the language of the color, the procedure improves and the final result is successful construction and satisfied patients.
Published Version
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