Simplify Shade Matching with Rite-Lite Pro™

 

One of the most difficult things to do in dentistry is to shade match a single shade in the cosmetic zone.  However, matching two teeth isn't really that much easier.  The proper shade match is critical and it's never easy.  If you've been practicing dentistry for any amount of time and run into this problem, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Anterior crowns are especially difficult.  Our aesthetic materials have made this a bit easier in the last 10-15 years, but even with all of the advancements, it is still a challenge.  Simply put, the design of human tooth consists of enamel over dentin.  Enamel is translucent and dentin is not.  That means that light striking the tooth is reflected in ways that are hard to mimic with manmade materials.  Things such as hue, value, and chroma all come into play... and they can present some challenges. 

Part of the challenge is the light the shade match is done under.  A smile isn't just seen in sunlight, it's also seen in a variety of manmade wavelengths and those are probably the biggest reason for the difficulty in shade matching.  A crown can be perfect under the lights of a dental office, but when seen under the lights in a home, an office environment, or restaurant, that shade can be affected by the ambient light.  Many doctors will match the shade and view the patient under a variety of lighting environments to try and maximize the aesthetics.  Personally I've taken shades in the operatory, in the reception area, and the parking lot on difficult shade cases.

How can a doctor view the smile under a variety of shade environments and decrease the chances of a crown not matching?  One of the easiest ways I've found to do this is with the Rite-Lite PRO™ from AdDent.

There is a measure of how accurately a light source reveals the colors of an object compared to natural sunlight.  That measure is referred to as CRI (Color Rendering Index) and can be incredibly helpful in these types of situations.

The Rite-Lite PRO is a shade matching device that uses a variety of high CRI LEDs at different specific wavelengths that allow the tooth to be visualized correctly.  A variety of different wavelengths can help increase the accuracy of the shade match.  The LEDs provide 3 modes of shade taking.

1. Color-corrected light at a color temperature of 5500° Kelvin.  This is considered 'true north' light.
2. Incandescent-room light at 3200° Kelvin that is found in many indoor environments.
3. Ambient list at 3900° Kelvin.  This is a combination of room light and daylight.

There is also a black light setting for matching restorations to natural dentition fluorescence.

As you can see from the image at the top of this post, the Rite-Lite PRO looks like a large magnifying glass.  The LEDs are setup in a ring with a large viewing port in the middle of the ring.  This lets the doctor or shade taker see the teeth evenly illuminated with each specific wavelength.  You can also purchase a polarizing filter to remove any surface reflection.  Pressing a button on the handle cycles the LEDs through the different wavelengths.

The ring illuminator is attached to a handle that contains a rechargeable Li-ion battery that provides constant power output which means the light is always at its correct brightness and intensity.  This allows the shade taker to know everything is the same... every time.

If you've ever struggled to get the shade match you and your patient expect, I highly recommend this device.  It makes shade taking *much* easier.  As I've said before, the smart people at AdDent make some of the best "better mousetrap" devices I've seen.  This is one of them!

For more info, see the AdDent website for all the details.