shade taking

1. Use lighting with colour temperature of 5500-6500K and Ra of >95 (OSRAM BIOLUX is good) - turn off the main surgery light

2. Take a shade of the palatal - this has a big influence on the whole colour

3. Take photos and include a photo of the shade guide next to the tooth - this gives us a visual reference of the shade variations against a standard

4. Ask the DSA for a second opinion

5. Ask a woman for a second opinion - on average more men are colour blind than women

6. Give your eyes a rest and look at a grey background every 30 seconds during shade taking - the shade guide holder is a good neutral colour

7. Make comprehensive notes on each individual tooth

Please click here to read various articles written by Mark Oborn on this subject

we also recommend sending your patient to the laboratory for a shade match to achieve the best result