Color management of porcelain veneers: influence of dentin and resin cement colors

Objective: Porcelain veneers have become an interesting treatment option to correct the shape and color of anterior teeth. Because of their limited thickness and high translucency, achieving a good color match is influenced by several variables. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of natural dentin and resin cement colors on final color match of porcelain veneers. Method and Materials: A preselected shade tab (A1) was chosen as the target color for a maxillary central incisor, and its color parameters (L*a*b*) were measured using a digital spectrophotometer (SpectroShade, MHT). Nine natural dentin colors (Natural Die Material, Ivoclar Vivadent) representing a wide range of tooth colors were used to prepare resin replicas of the maxillary central incisor with a standard preparation for porcelain veneers. The prepared porcelain veneers (IPS Empress Esthetic, A1, 0.6 mm thick, Ivoclar Vivadent) were cemented on the resin dies (nine groups of natural dentin colors) using seven shades of resin cement (Variolink Veneers, Ivoclar Vivadent). The L*a*b* values of the cemented veneers were measured, and ΔE values were calculated against the preselected target color (A1). ΔE greater than 3.3 was considered as a significant color mismatch detectable by the human eye. Results: The seven shades of resin cement had no significant influence on the final color of the veneers, as the measured ΔE values were almost identical for every test group. On the other hand, the color of natural dentin was a significant factor that influenced final color match. None of the 63 tested combinations (nine natural dentin colors and seven resin cement colors) produced an acceptable color match. Conclusion: Thin porcelain veneers cannot mask underlying tooth color even when different shades of resin cement are used. Incorporation of opaque porcelain (high chroma) may improve final color match