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Figure 2: This case does a good job of illustrating
why I like the VITA 3D-Master ® shade guide
better than the VITA Classical shade guide.
Notice that on tooth #7, the VITA Easyshade
Compact is telling me that the closest Classical
shade is A2, while the closest 3D-Master shade
is 2.5R2. It will soon be evident why it’s helpful
that the VITA Easyshade compact takes both
shades simultaneously.
Figure 3: The VITA Easyshade Compact has a
relatively short learning curve, but the first step
in using it successfully is understanding how
to maximize the surface area of the tip that is
in contact with the tooth surface. As the facial
surfaces of anterior teeth are rarely flat, the tip
will not fit completely flush against the tooth
structure. I always have a finger ready to stabilize
the tip and allow me to make slight rotations
so that most of the tip comes in contact with
the tooth.
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Figure 4: The shade reading from the middle
third of tooth #10 also is an A2 on the Classical
guide, but a 2R2 on the 3D-Master guide.
Because of the considerable jumps between
adjacent shades in the Classical system, many
teeth that register as Classical A2s can be
more accurately classified within the 3D-Master
system. (View the “Modern Shade Taking
Methods for Enhanced Lab Communication”
video online at www.glidewelldental.com for an
in-depth explanation of this.)
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