The Colors of Mixtures of Dental Opaque Porcelains

Abstract

The colors of mixtures of dental opaque porcelains and modifiers were measured with use of the CIE L*a * b* uniform color space. Mixtures of dental porcelains were tested to duplicate the range of human tooth colors. Vertical movements in the yellow and blue directions were obtained. Horizontal movements in the red and green directions were achieved. Reflectance measurements were made with use of a spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere. Spectrophotometer measurements were converted to absolute reflectance and then used to calculate CIE a* b* values for a 2° standard observer and for illuminant C. Movements in the yellow, red, blue, and green directions for adequate simulation of the tooth color range can be demonstrated with use of dental opaque and modifier porcelains.