The Optical Characteristics of Natural Teeth

Understanding the properties of light and color will help communicate shade prescriptions to
the laboratory for optimal results.
Matching one or two artificial restorations to a highly characterized natural dentition can be
a challenging procedure for the dentist/technician team.

Hue
Synonyms for hue are color, cast, shade, tint, or tone. Hue is specified as the dominant
range of wavelengths in the visible spectrum that yields a perceived color.
Chroma
Chroma is the measure of how much color is present. 2 When brown pigment is placed into
white powdered porcelain, the mixture takes on a brown hue. The chroma of a natural tooth
comes mainly from the dentin, and the thickness and opacity of the overlying enamel
determines how much chromatic influence the dentin has.4
Value
Value is the sum total amount of light that is returned from an illuminated object. The
characteristics of brightness and translucency work counter to each other..
Translucency
In the dental context, translucency can be described as the gradient between transparent
and opaque. Enamel and dentin have varying degrees of translucency. Areas within a tooth
or a restoration with higher translucency will have a lower value because light trans
illuminates through and away from the viewer.
Opalescence
. Natural opals are aqueous disilicates that break light down into its component spectrum of
wavelengths by refraction.
Optical Density and Fiber-Optic Properties
When light enters a natural tooth it gets bounced around the enamel like a fiber-optic cable.
If one side of a tooth is illuminated with a curing light, the entire crown is lit.
Metamerism
is the unfortunate characteristic of restorations matching well in operatory lighting or in
photographs but then displaying differently when the patient smiles in other light conditions.

Fluorescence
Fluorescence might be categorized as a type of reflection by opaque material. Fluorescence
by definition is the absorption of light by a substance and the spontaneous re-emission of
lower-energy light of a longer wavelength.14

Light Sources and Color Rendering

If a wavelength is not part of the ambient light spectrum, it is not there to reflect off the
tooth. To properly assess chroma and hue, a full-spectrum light source is needed.
Surface Morphology
All teeth have surfaces with morphological variations. Surface morphology affects how light
will reflect. When light hits a surface perpendicular to your eyes, a significant portion of that
light can reflect back to your eyes. Anterior teeth have surfaces perpendicular to a viewer;
thus, these reflections have a significant influence on appearance. The perceived shape,
length, and width of an anterior tooth is significantly influenced by the specular reflections
coming off the heights of contour of the buccal surfaces.17 Documenting the surface
morphology of posterior teeth is of less importance.
Conclusion
Matching a natural tooth with an artificial restoration will always remain an artistic
challenge. The dentist/technician team is responsible for artfully re-creating the natural
tooth anatomy, alignment, and wear patterns of the lost tooth structure while also matching
the optical parameters that generate the overall visual appearance of the tooth. Beyond
talent, the ultimate likelihood of faithfully re-creating nature is limited only by how complete
the communication process is. Knowing the language of color as well as understanding how
the optical properties of the human dentition are displayed will improve the outcomes of our
restorative endeavors.

Color- is the result of the light source, the object that absorbs, transmits, reflects or scatters
the light from the source, and the interpretation of the result by human visual system