Zirkonzahn Shade Guides 

Monolithic Prettau® zirconia shade guides

Zirkonzahn Shade Guides determine precise patient tooth shade and optimal Prettau® Dispersive® material selection with monolithic zirconia sample teeth. The colour spectrum is inspired by the VITA classic range, comprised of 16 dentine shades (A1-D4) and 3 Bleach shades. The sample teeth are monolithic and glazed with 3D Base Glaze glaze material. Colour theory shows that shape and surface structure considerably influence the colour effect. Striving for perfection, we build our shade guides in all respective Prettau® Dispersive® zirconia materials in the shape of a premolar as well as upper and lower incisor.

One-to-one function: only if the material of the shade guide and the material of the zirconia structure are identical is it possible to achieve a restoration colour as close as possible to the patient’s natural teeth. For individualists, the shade guides in the shape of an upper incisor are also available with minimally reduced, sintered sample teeth (minimal cutback), which can be further characterised by the application of different incisal materials. This results in truly unique shade guides that exactly reflect the individual approach and own aesthetic demands.


 

Overview of the characteristics

  Zirconia shade guides with monolithic sample teeth in the shape of a premolar as well as upper and lower incisor made of Prettau® 2 Dispersive®, Prettau® 3 Dispersive®, Prettau® 4 Anterior® Dispersive® zirconia for a precise determination of the patient's tooth colour. The shade guide is made of the same material and colour as of the final restoration. This guarantees that the colour of the final restoration will be as close as possible to the patient’s natural teeth.
     
  Very accurate reproduction of the colour and translucency values of the different Dispersive® zirconia types. One-to-One Function for all monolithic zirconia restorations (veneers, crowns, bridges)
     
  Individual Shade Guides: Shade guides with sintered, minimally reduced sample teeth in the shape of an upper incisor (minimal cutback) can be individually characterised
     
  For the dental practice, we recommend using our specially developed Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Prettau® Line in the shape of a premolar as well as a lower and upper incisor, to identify easily the natural tooth colour.
     
  Colour spectrum: 19 colours (A1-D4 including 3 Bleach shades, inspired by the VITA colour range)
     
  Transparent, metal-free sample bars made of temperature-resistant plastic to avoid interference caused by translucent metal (metal sample bars would shine through under the zirconia material)
     
  Sample teeth can be placed in any position without shifting thanks to a special 360° locking mechanism
     
  Simply practical: stainless steel holder with all important processing information.


 

 

Zirkonzahn Shade Guides

     
      Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Tooth
11		 Zirkonzahn Individual Shade Guide Tooth
11		 Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Tooth
31		 Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Tooth
25
       
Zirconia shade guide for the upper jaw Zirconia shade guide for the upper jaw with minimal cutback Zirconia shade guide for the lower jaw Zirconia shade guide for the posteriors
             
  Prettau® Line Item number: SGAA0401
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0411
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0402
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0403
Available now
  Prettau® 2 Dispersive® Item number: SGAA0101
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0111
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0102
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0103
Available now
  Prettau® 3 Dispersive® Item number: SGAA0201
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0211
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0202
Available now		 Item number: SGAA0203
Available now
  Prettau® 4 Anterior® Dispersive® Item number: SGAA0301
Coming soon		 Item number: SGAA0311
Coming soon		 Item number: SGAA0302
Coming soon		 Item number: SGAA0303
Coming soon


On request, the front side of the shade guides can be personalised with the name of the dental practice and the back with the name of the dental laboratory (at extra charge).


DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
   
  Brochure Zirkonzahn Shade Guides
 
 
 

Colour spectrum



 

Mirror of time and lifestyle

The teeth are a mirror of a person’s life and individual lifestyle. They are different from person to person and disposition, lived years, nutrition and habits of each human being shape a unique appearance of wear patterns, degrees of translucency and colouring. The colour of a tooth is formed by the combination of dentine and enamel. In youth and when the person is in healthy growth, the dentine has a uniform colour. With increasing age, discolouration occurs, which usually manifests itself as darker areas in the dentine area. The overlying enamel, which is firmly bonded to the dentine, is characterised by varying degrees of opacity depending on the respective area - from whitish opaque to almost transparent. Overall, the tooth tends to have a single shade, with a higher translucency level towards the incisal edge.

 
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The tooth colour – a complex matter

The reproduction of the natural tooth colour is a very complex process. Factors such as tooth structure, surface structure, translucency and fluorescence properties, brightness, light reflection and material selection play an essential role and interweave with objective and subjective factors of colour perception. To achieve the best possible result, it is therefore important to control as many factors as possible. An exact determination of the natural basic tooth colour is fundamental for the artificial reproduction. In the specialist literature* it is therefore recommended to always use the shade guide of the material that will later be used for the restoration.
(* 2011: Strub, Jörg R. / Kern, Matthias / Türp, Jens Christoph / Witkowski, Siegbert / Heydecke, Guido / Wolfart, Stefan; Curriculum Prothetik, Band II, 4., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage, Quintessenz Verlags-GmbH)
 

What patients like

Human teeth have different degrees of opacity: from quite transparent to very opaque. Cloudy, i.e. opaque, looks youthful and healthy. Especially in the case of larger restorations, this characteristic tends to be chosen by the patient. When adapting single crowns, attention is paid to the degree of opacity, if the dentition is intact. With the different Prettau® Dispersive® zirconia types three degrees of translucency are available. If the initial state of the teeth is relatively poor, there is a tendency to carry out a reset. The first step is to select the right colour foundation, which in the end leads to the optimal colour, and then the colour variant the patient likes best is chosen, namely the most opaque and the brightest.
 

Colour selection and individualised colour design without chipping

Especially the incisal areas of monolithic zirconia restorations can be further individualised as desired. This can be achieved by applying a coloured glaze or by a minimal incisal reduction (minimal cutback) and subsequent light ceramic veneering. Monolithic restorations fabricated in this way completely prevent ceramic chipping (no chipping of small ceramic particles), because the ceramic applied in the incisal area according to individual interpretation and preference only fulfils aesthetic purposes.
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South Tyrolean Dolomites - source of strength & inspiration

The white, rugged and ancient Dolomites, unique of their kind, rise up from the enormous primordial sea of Tethys 250 million years ago. Lifted with strength by the hard coral reefs of the African continent, they stand proudly against the infinite sky, challenging all weather conditions.

Famous today as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage, the Dolomites, located in South Tyrol, are a unique mountain range, an exceptional phenomenon in the Alps. Respected as a magical place in the Stone Age, they are still shrouded in their mystical charm. Their white colour lives on through the centuries, shining brightly in the moonlight and reverberating the glowing colours of the setting sun. This is the myth. These are the Dolomites - a source of strength and timeless inspiration. As unique as this natural monolith, is zirconia the dental material of choice. To imbue it with unique properties. To improve it. To make it resistant beyond our lifetime. To infuse luminosity and all its extraordinary attributes, gives us, as producers of this noble material, inspired by our South Tyrolean homeland and scientific spirit, the unbelievably immense feeling of doing the right thing.
 
 

Tips for avoiding possible disturbing influences

  • Ideally, colour determination should be carried out under natural daylight conditions or in a room illuminated with standardised daylight lamps; avoid direct, bright light (approx. 2000 lux, a well-lit dental chair already has approx. 8000 lux)
  • Carry out colour determination quickly and no longer than 5-7 s: The human eye tires quickly when looking at something with concentration. This also affects the colour perception.
  • Colour matching in a neutral colour environment, on a patient without make-up who is wearing neutral-coloured clothes - The perception of an intense colour influences the colour perception of another colour, which is observed immediately afterwards (simultaneous contrast), the colour of the underground also affects the perception of a colour.
  • Participation in a colour matching course - When determining the patient's tooth colour, the exclusion of sources of interference and the individual experience level are of considerable importance. Participation in a special training course can be very helpful.

     
 

Steps of tooth shade determination

  1. Clean natural teeth well before determining the tooth colour, if necessary carry out a dental cleaning. The teeth surfaces do not have to be dried out, otherwise the teeth will appear too white.
  2. Carry out colour determination with relaxed lip position, ideally under daylight conditions (slightly cloudy sky) around 10-11 am or 2-3 pm or under standardised daylight illumination.
  3. Hold the corresponding Prettau® 2 Dispersive®, Prettau® 3 Dispersive® or Prettau® 4 Anterior® Dispersive® shade guide at a distance but still as close as possible next to or under the corresponding natural patient tooth (tooth neck to tooth neck or incisal edge to incisal edge)
  4. Hold the Zirkonzahn Shade Guide 11 for the upper jaw against the natural teeth to determine the natural tooth shade for a monolithic upper jaw structure to be fabricated in Prettau® Dispersive® zirconia or to check the interplay with the natural residual teeth in the upper/lower jaw or the interplay with an already fabricated zirconia lower jaw structure.
  5. Hold the Zirkonzahn Shade Guide 31 for the lower jaw against the natural teeth to determine the natural tooth shade for a monolithic lower jaw structure to be fabricated in Prettau® Dispersive® zirconia or to check the interplay with the natural residual teeth in the upper/lower jaw or the interplay with an already fabricated zirconia upper jaw structure.
  6. Hold the Zirkonzahn Shade Guide 25 for the posterior area against the natural teeth to determine the natural tooth shade in the posterior region and the shade effect on the occlusal surfaces.
  7. Disinfect the shade guides after use, allow to dry and store them in the supplied packaging, protected from direct sunlight.
  8. Examination of the fabricated monolithic zirconia structures ideally in industry standard daylight D65 with a correlated colour temperature of 6500 K.