The Perfect Shade . . . Every Time

What’s the Deal with Metamerism?

How does Paramount Dental Studio deliver consistent shade matching? Matching a tooth to a specific shade seems simple enough. Just hold the tooth up to a shade guide and see if the two look the same, right? Well, unfortunately, the same shade can actually look different depending on the lighting conditions. According to a phenomenon known as metamerism, objects can appear to match in certain lighting conditions, but then appear not to match in others.

What does this mean for a dental laboratory? The variation from different types of artificial light sources, the location within a room, and even the time of day all make an impact. They subtly affect how tooth colors appear and whether two different shades may seem to match when they in fact do not. While overhead lighting and desk lamps are the simplest type of lighting for a dental laboratory to use, they yield inconsistent results and dissatisfied patients.

Scientific studies have provided ample evidence for these lighting challenges and the need for both dentists and dental laboratory technicians to leverage technology to overcome them. For example, one study entitled “Shade-Matching Abilities of Dental Laboratory Technicians Using a Commercial Light Source“ found that “more than 75% of the participants scored higher using the corrective-light source” compared to traditional dental laboratory lighting environments.* The researchers therefore concluded that “it is clear that the shade-matching scores were better using the corrective-light source.”

Pantone Light Booth

Better Technology = Better Results

So how does Paramount Dental Studio approach this issue? When it comes to checking tooth shades, we only use Pantone light booths—no overhead lighting or desk lamps. Pantone light booths are an effective form of corrective lighting that normalize light conditions and allow our technicians to match our restorations to the exact shade you have selected every time.

According to our data, this approach has led to 31% fewer remakes and 43% higher customer satisfaction. Your patients want the perfect smile and they won’t be satisfied unless we match that shade perfectly. We commit to using the best technology to ensure those results.

* Jasinevicius, Theresa Roma, et al. “Shade-Matching Abilities of Dental Laboratory Technicians Using a Commercial Light Source.“ Journal of Prosthodontics 18:1, January 2009, pp. 60-3.