Making Ceramic Crowns for Maxillary Central Incisors?

I know that there are other ways to match the shade you want such as custom shading in the lab as well as buying expensive equipment however if the lab is not using a certain porcelain they are unable to check with their shade device the shade of the crown before it is sent back to your office. The one method that I would suggest is Clearmatch. I just got turned on to it though I haven't purchased the system yet for my lab I do know of one lab Red Wing Dental Arts that has the system at their disposal. If you have a digital camera that's pretty much all the Doctors office needs. The rest is done in the lab. If you wanted to purchase certain software to use in your office I know that this is also an option with this system. I hope this information can help you in completing your case. Vernice Griffin, CDT VMB Dental Arts Louisville, KY [email protected] 502-633-2725

As it has been almost 3 years since my last post. I have had the opportunity to try some things out and for shade matching I can say hands down nothing beats having a skilled lab technician come in and do a shade match in your office and take photos. Often times a lab will receive a case with a basic A2 shade only to find out that it was not truly an A2 but a mixture of whites, blues, A2 and A3.5. This is at no fault of the dentist it is just that in determining shades it is so imperative to examine all aspects of the surrounding dentition both pre and post-op. Light plays a huge roll in determining shade not to mention firing parameters of the porcelain. Now a tool that can measure the success of a case can also be in the shade guide Vita's 3-D shade guide and add-on's that are now available can be a lot more helpful as well. What these guide do as well as others that have been developed since the last time I posted are key. Another idea is play around with different adhesives they have a variety of shades and thanks to some of the dentist that I have worked with I have learned exactly how much of a difference these shaded adhesives will make in a restoration like your pressed ceramics and laminates. So remember it is great to have these new digital device when used in conjunction with that of the valued team member who will ultimately be fabricating the final restoration. Well, that's all I have for now but I am so glad to be able to find this post and comment on it once again. If you have had success with the information I've given please feel free to email me or if you would just like to get my e-newsletter with other helpful hints that I have learned along the way please visit my site. Well until we meet again here's to your continued success. And remember there is always a team that can help you so don't be shy about asking for whatever it is that you need to make your next case a success as we are all in it to build bridges with strong and stable connectors the will last for years to come.