PBL Lindas improved smile , Part III Dr.

Marinele Campos Antipova Olga 12402

Factors Influencing Color The principal reason for a choice of porcelain as a restorative material is its esthetic qualities in matching the adjacent tooth structure in translucence, color, and intensity. Complete matching is extremely difficult, if not impossible. The structure of the tooth will influence its color. Dentin is more opaque than enamel and will reflect light. The enamel is a crystalline layer over the dentin and is composed of thin prisms or rods cemented together by an organic substance. The indicesof refraction of the rods and the cementing substance are different. Consequently, a light ray is diffused by reflection and refraction to produce a translucent effect and sensation of depth as scattered ray reaches the eye. As the light ray strikes the tooth surface, part of it is reflected and the remainder penetrates the enamel and is diffused. Any light reaching the dentin is either absorbed or reflected to be again diffused in the enamel. If dentin is not present, as in the tip of an incisor, some of the light ray may be absorbed in the dark oral cavity. Consequently, this area may appear to be more translucent than that toward the gingival area. In addition to the refraction and reflection, there may also be some dispersion, giving a color or shade that varies in different teeth. The dispersion can vary with the wave length of the light. Therefore, the appearance of the teeth may vary accordingly to whether they are viewed in direct sunlight, reflecting daylight, or fluorescent light. It is, of course impossible to imitate such an optical system perfectly. The dentist can, however, approach the esthetic characteristics sufficiently that the difference is conspicuous only to the trained eye. Dental porcelains are pigmented by including oxides in the frit to provide desired colors as discussed earlier. Specimens of each shade are provided for the dentist who, in turn can match the tooth color as nearly as possible. Often, the dental ceramist will further blend the powders supplied to provide a more exact matching. A similar blending process is employed foe the acrylic and silicate cement powders.

The production of the color sensation with a pigment is a physically different phenomenon from that obtained by optical reflection, refraction, and dispersion. The color of a pigment is determined by selective absorption and selective reflection. For example, if white light is reflected from a red surface, all of the light with a wave length different from that of red is absorbed. Only the red light is reflected. It follows, then, that if a red hue is part of the blend in the porcelain jacket crown, but the red wave length is not present in the light beam, the tooth appears to be a different shade. In practice, the dentist usually matches the tooth with the shade guide in the northern light from a blue sky, because this light usually contains all the primary colors. If the sky is cloudy, the shade may appear to be grayer than if reflected sunlight is present. If the light is reflected from a red brick wall, for example, the shade takes on a pink hue. Thus , if possible, the color matching should be done under two or more different light sources. At least one should be northern exposure daylight, and the matching should be done during the middle portion of a day that is slightly overcast if this is possible. Another factor that is important to the esthetic qualities is the cementing medium. For example, an opaque material, such as zinc phosphate cement, can change the shade of a jacket crown because of its light absorption and color. Thus silicophosphate and, more recently, the glass ionomer cements are used for such restorations. One method for overcoming the influence of the cement is to apply a first layer of opaque porcelain and cover it with translucent porcelain of the proper shade.

References: Science of dental materials- Ralph W. Phillips, M.S. Color Atlas of Porcelain laminate vineers- George A. Freedman/ Gerald L. McLaughlin