Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Prettau® Line: Monolithic Prettau® zirconia shade guide identical to the final restoration

With the new Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Prettau Line, it is possible to accurately determine the patient's tooth colour and the corresponding zirconia material through monolithic zirconia sample teeth in the shape of a premolar as well as lower and upper incisors.

The reproduction of the natural tooth colour is a very complex process, especially nowadays, where pre-coloured dental materials are making their way in the production of dental restorations. An exact determination of the natural basic tooth colour is fundamental for the artificial reproduction and the specialist literature* therefore recommends to always use the shade guide of the material that will later be used for the restoration.

According to this principle, in order to provide the patient with a final restoration identical to his/her natural tooth colour, zirconia shade guides should be used by dentists for cases planned to be treated with zirconia prostheses. For this purpose, Zirkonzahn Shade Guide Prettau Line, developed by the South Tyrolean company Zirkonzahn, has been recently launched in the dental market. Composed of monolithic sample teeth made of zirconia, it allows precision determination of the patient's natural tooth colour. The colour spectrum of the shade guide is inspired by the VITA classic range, comprised of 16 dentine shades (A1-D4) and 3 Bleach shades. Colour theory shows that shape and surface structure considerably influence the colour effect. For this reason, the shade guide is available not only in the shape of upper and lower incisors, but also in the shape of a premolar.

The sample teeth accurately reproduce the colour and translucency values of the corresponding zirconia blank. If the final restoration is milled from the selected zirconia material, it is therefore guaranteed that the final shade will reflect 100% of the natural tooth colour of the patient (One-to-One function). The shade guide is 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. 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.