Color and its implications in Esthetic Dentistry

Color is a psychophysical sensation that results when the human visual system responds to the light reflected from objects in a scene. The spectral color signal is focused by the lens and then sampled by a mosaic of photoreceptors in the retina that lines the eyeball. The study of color is an integral part of esthetic dentistry. The science of color matching involves physics, psychophysics, psychology and even philosophy. The nature of light, color vision theories, spectrophotometric studies, color order systems all are part of the color engineer¿s world. The successful achievement of clinically acceptable color match between a natural tooth and a restoration is also influenced by the spectral coverage of the selected shade guide system and the clinician¿s experience with this system. Dental shade guide standards are designated in terms of Munsell Hue (H), value (V) and chroma (C). Shade selection involves the perception of color which depends on light source, object and detector. Knowledge of the scientific basis of color from understanding light to interpreting the artistics aspects of shade selection ensures a successful result.