Minnesota Dental Laboratory Provides Shade Communication Tips

-- Technical Tips: Improving Shade Communication

Tooth shades can be the most difficult, while at the same time most important, thing to communicate between the dental office and lab. The success of a crown and bridge case, particularly single unit cases, depends to a great degree on how closely the shade of the crown matches the shade of the adjacent teeth.

One way to improve the precision and accuracy of communicating shades is with the use of the Vita 3-D Master shade guide.

This well organized and user friendly guide not only makes sense but allows the dental clinician to choose up to 81 possible shades from 5 degrees of value (or six when using the bleach or 0 tab). In addition to a greater degree of shade possibilities, today’s porcelains are formulated in the same ways the shade guide is organized.


For example, when a technician mixes 1M1 porcelain with 2M1 porcelain, the combination results in a 1.5M1.

This organization gives us a very precise and accurate system for creating dental restorations that match their patient’s natural dentition. Let’s take a closer look and review the Vita 3D-Master shade guide.

The shade value, or the degree of light to dark, is arranged from left to right with the lighter shades on the left and the darker shades on the right. The top middle shade tab in each group is the basic shade and the starting point for determining a shade (See Figure 1). These values are labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (and 0 for bleach shades).

The 3D Master shade guide allows you to select a shade that is between two groups. For example, if the shade is between a 2M and a 3M the shade is a 2.5M and is indicated in this way on a prescription.

After the value of the tooth shade has been selected, the next step is to determine the shade’s chroma, or the degree of paleness or richness of the shade. As you work down a shade group bottom are very rich (See Figure 2).

As with value, the 3D Master shade guide allows you to select a chroma in-between two shade tabs. Example - The shade between a 3M1 and a 3M2 is a 3M1.5 and would be indicated on the prescription in the same way (See Figure 3).

The last step in determining a shade with the 3D guide is to check the hue of the shade. If a shade appears more red or yellow than the middle shade tab the R (red) tabs and the L (yellow) tabs are available (See Figure 4).

A shade that is slightly more yellow than a 2M2 is a 2L2, slightly redder a 2R2. Again a shade can be in-between and the tabs and indicated so on the prescription (between 3L1.5 and 3L2.5 is a 3L2).

In summary, when selecting a shade using the 3D Master shade guide begin with the value (top middle shade tabs). Then determine the intensity or richness (chroma) of the tooth shade (the tabs are arranged from pale on top to rich on bottom).

Finally, determine if the shade is yellower (L) or redder (R) when compared to the middle (M) shade if necessary (See Figure 5).

If you are a dentist with questions shade determination or about a particular esthetic dental case, please give Renstrom Dental Studio (laboratory) call so we can answer your questions!

CONTACT

Renstrom Dental Studio, Inc
Renstrom.com
Vadnais Heights/St. Paul MN

651-407-0491

Original Minnesota Lab's Shade Guide Technical Tips Article posted here.

Renstrom Dental Studio (MN Lab) is also a Northern Dental Alliance member.

Reposted by
Dick Chwalek
NicheDental.com

Dick is also a Northern Dental Alliance member.

Thanksgiving Food For Thought - Dental Marketing Reprieve

Time to eat and talk turkey. Tomorrow we have a date with the dinner table. Friday we have a date with the mall. Soon we will party till we ring-a-ding in the new year.

There is something WRONG with this picture, much like how dental marketing is unflatteringly employed. You and I need to talk frankly about how dentistry should be presented to the consumer to affect a positive and productive result.

It is time to change the rules. You need to avoid overindulgence on supposedly simple million-patients-in-a-month, fairy tale spun marketing tripe. Stop bingeing on super secret 100% money back dental advertising turkey droppings.

Following 'all the rules' and practices of yore vidal sassoon without serious reflection will too often mean ending up going in the wrong direction.

Thanksgiving dinner can turn into tummy tuck redux. Holiday shopping can trample the reason for the season. Tipping a few too many glasses of bubbly back has caused a staggering number of people to hear sirens sound rather new year's party horns blare.

Instead of following other dentists off the cliff of same old outlandish brain-locked marketing schlock, get real and start building an integrated, consistent, scalable communication strategy. It will take some hard work and even cost more money than you think makes sense. Of course, this cheaper by mutton headed philosophy might sound like something dentists like you have heard from patients.

Stay away from the easy and the cheap, anyone can do it, buy another lottery ticket solution. Following these tired and "always about money off your valuable expertise" rules will take you down a path where you will meet patients of the same perspective.

How can it cost that much doc? Why can't marketing/dentistry be easier and done without a lot of thinkin? Can't I just watch a training video, steady the marketing drill on my own and take care of that tooth back there? Oops. Ouch! Darn. That dental marketing without a net thing is more dangerous than I suspected Skipper.

You could ask me to show you how you can actually build your practice, increase revenues, bring in more new patients and help more people get the care they need. Or not.

Just wait till things turn around. Sit there at the table and keep telling yourself eating all this food is a good thing. That some day you will get up and do some jumping jacks and calisthenics to tighten up your belly full of yesteryears when things were easier and money flowed like milk shakes and honey ham.

But when you realize no one uses the words calisthenics or does jumping jacks anymore. And figure out the milk toast selling dental marketers are shaking you down. Regain consciousness from the ham handed money scam you been hit with. Let's talk turkey about raising some revenues so you can improve the dental health of more consumers instead of navel oranges grazing.

Leave the lameness of last year's simpleton marketing ideas behind. Flush the toilet of no revenue movement. Whether it is virtual reality or real world advertising techniques, make a pact with yourself to do things in the pragmatic, continual build mode while utilizing concepts that help real people make real decisions about dentistry.

Promoting dentistry like its a sale on turkey franks at the big box grocers is detrimental to the health of your practice and us consumers. Frankly, I recommend beefing up your marketing strategy with data reality developed through comprehensive marketing tracking. I even have some grade A prime steroid infused data that will whet your "prove it to me" appetite.

Here is something the slick marketing their magic tricks group won't tell you - even in their super secret dental marketing reports... "It ain't easy to get it right, partner." And most fail because they thought it was easy and were shocked into backing off.

Of course, there is an "easy" part. It is in how THEY take your money and then move on to the next dentist waiting with fork in hand.

These marketers sell you smile whitening gel when you have periodontitis. They pull your teeth when they should have performed a root canal. Place a sold sign on the London crown and bridge when implants would have conserved even healthy teeth of a Brit.

So. Before you get sold a bill goodies again make sure their idea does not reek of LIMITED TIME ONLY marketing halitosis.

If these marketers have done so much good with their reports and deals of the century - why does this STATISTIC remind me of the movie by Dr. Even Steven Cling : "Caries" - the dental visit horror report.

"Overall, there was no change in the percentage of the population

with a dental visit from 1996 to 2004." (SeniorJournal.com)

Looks like my time is up. See you next week. Same bat channel. Same lame puns. Blame tame nuns. Game day runs. Claims son's name. Hum gains fame. Gun came framed.

Okay... it has gotten to be too late again. Sorry about that. Good night.

Happy Tank Living. A Marry Billie Hollandaise to You. Lappy New Beers. Dunk Murray, He My Pappy. Just scream when it starts to hurt.

Dick Chwalek

• Dental Marketing Coach • Dentistry Communication Consultant

CALL 866-453-1026

NicheDental.com

NicheDentalCollaborate.com

NorthernDentalAlliance.com

Cheap Dentistry Or We All Get a Million $$$ Mortgages?

How do we approach dentistry as consumers? Do we know what is possible? Does the dentist present their services effectively so trust is improved and value is high?

Marketing is too often about gimmicks and discounts. As consumers, we want to get the best price for everything. But when cost and health meet we often find ourselves with a conflict of interest. If it is not covered by dental insurance or it does not exactly fit our limited perspective of what has changed and is now possible, we think we are getting over sold.

Dentistry marketing usually throws in some kind of deal and focuses on the shiny bobbles of high tech services because we would most likely ignore it without something besides "it is good for you". But this "smoke and mirrors" makes us think there is no there there or we go further and trust dentists less.

Unfortunately, there is something more there and we miss it because telling us that "the Surgeon General" says it is so - makes us frown. This creates a slippery consumer paradox: telling it like it is - is too boring and maybe too scary. And making it seem like a day at the park with ice cream - and seemingly free - makes us suspicious. Dr. Ron Briglia of West Chester PA provides a different perspective with his new dental practice, which just opened this month.

His new practice offers the comfort required to show consumers dentistry can be a lot more pleasant and palatable. He offers sedation dentistry including IV sedation to reduce the pain and anxiety issues to almost nothing. Then he focuses on complete long term health with dental implants and advanced periodontal treatments, which means we really get something good.

See how he eliminates the boring while including real value. Like not thinking everyone can get a million dollar mortgage, we need to focus on what is really BEST not think we can defy the laws of reality when it comes to our health. If you do not think your health is worth it, changing your perspective about dentistry is vital. Do your research but don't wait too long -- forking over a few more dollars is better than saying good bye to many of your teeth.

Go to Dr. Briglia's new dental practice in West Chester PA post.

Sincerely, Dick Chwalek - Niche Dental

Dental Marketing Coach and Consultant