Optimized digital shade calibration technology for the restoration of a single central incisor.

Predictable shade matching and communicating shade information to the dental laboratory technician have proved to be a capricious undertaking. Numerous confounding variables exist for the observer-which may be extrinsic (such as light source and background color), intrinsic (such as genetics and eye fatigue), or a combination of both. To address these shortcomings, low-cost, easy-to-operate, color analysis instrumentation and software programs have been engineered for objective shade selection and precise color analysis. The shade matching protocols that now exist have made even the most challenging esthetic treatments predictable for both the clinician and the dental laboratory technician.