Rayplicker QuickShade
Spectrophotometry takes the guesswork out of shade matching by quickly scanning, analyzing, and flawlessly matching the shade of any tooth
Hearing the words “it looks just like new” is usually a compliment, but that’s not always the case when a recently restored tooth “looks just like new” and sticks out like a sore thumb. Getting a restoration to blend with the other teeth in a patient’s mouth can be a challenging, time-consuming, and frustrating process—and can also be somewhat of a guessing game.
To overcome the shade-matching challenge, Dr. Nadeem Dallal relies on the Rayplicker QuickShade from Video Dental Concepts, a unique digital tooth shade analyzer that uses spectrophotometry to take the guesswork out of shade matching by scanning, analyzing, and flawlessly matching the shade of any tooth in a matter of minutes.
With QuickShade, Dr. Dallal said he achieves “accurate shade matching with one click” and receives “data on all thirds of the tooth with a map of the shades and translucency to send to the lab.” Dr. Dallal’s assistant simply screen-captures the shade, attaches it to an electronic script, and sends it to the lab. “The crowns come back with an excellent match/layering,” Dr. Dallal reported.
Ease of Use
“It’s perfect!” said Dr. Scott Schwartz of the QuickShade device. “It’s extremely easy to use, quick to get information to send to the lab, and customer service is spectacular.” Lonni Thompson, CDT, is impressed by “the ease of using it and the accuracy it gives,” and Dr. Alan Velazquez appreciates the user-friendly interface. “Self-calibration is wonderful compared to our previous shade-matching device, which needed to be calibrated every few seconds,” said Dr. Dallal, who appreciates “the ability to get multiple shades on the same tooth with 1 click vs 3 clicks plus calibration with our previous device.” When asked to suggest improvements, Dr. Dallal said he would like to be able to export JPGs of the shade map to the lab as well as PDFs, and Dr. Velazquez suggested Bluetooth to help transmit shade information to PCs or tablets.
Time Savings & Convenience
In addition to streamlining the shade-matching process, using QuickShade eliminates the need for patients to go to the lab and for lab technicians to travel to dental practices. Acknowledging that lighting and color match are “huge disruptions” to the lab workflow, Thompson said, “QuickShade is one of the tools we use to help us achieve correct shading.” Hoping to make the acquisition and communication of shade data more objective and efficient, Dr. José Mendoza invested in QuickShade and said it has “allowed me to standardize this aspect of procedures and address those concerns.” Dr. Velazquez said, “It helps speed the process of correcting shades,” and Dr. Dallal called it “a time-saver.”
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"It has become a fundamental tool for choosing the right color combination."
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"QuickShade helps get me very close to the correct shade and incisal translucency."
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"It’s a wow-maker for my patients, who notice the attention to detail when we use this technology."
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Alan Velazquez, DDS Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico |
Alvin Wee, DDS, MS, MPH, PhD Minneapolis, MN |
José Mendoza, DDS Pasco, WA |
“It’s extremely easy to use, quick to get information to send to the lab, and customer service is spectacular.”
—ScottSchwartz, DDS Fort Myers, FL
Accuracy & Outcomes
For an accurate shade match every time, QuickShade’s calibrating tips eliminate external factors that interfere with color analysis. To aid in “polychromatic shade and incisal translucency selection,” Dr. Alvin Wee said QuickShade “helps get me very close to the correct shade and incisal translucency,” which decreases stress during shade matching. “It replaced our discontinued device perfectly,” shared Dr. Schwartz. “It is very accurate and extremely easy to use” and is especially helpful when layering porcelain in the anterior. Describing it as “a great tool for shade taking,” Thompson said, “We rely on this system to help us achieve restorations that match in the mouth.”
QuickShade is “useful when staff can’t agree on a shade or in cases where a base shade is difficult or impossible to determine,” said Dr. David Hickman. Calling the device “very accurate,” Dr. Dallal stressed that “the shade map feature is wonderful; I can send that to my lab to get a custom shade on anterior teeth.” Noting that “calcification and other surface colors can throw off the scanner,” Alan Banks, chief communications officer at an Ohio lab, said the shades are more accurate than other products. Acknowledging that “some subjective shade selection is still required,” Dr. Gary Ozga called QuickShade “better than any other product I have tried. It puts you in the correct range of shade selection.”
Overall Satisfaction
“Shading of lifelike restorations is a very difficult process,” admitted Thompson. “You need many tools in your arsenal to get consistent results and, with knowledge of color, this tool helps achieve good results.” For Dr. Velazquez, “Rayplicker QuickShade has become a fundamental tool for choosing the right color combination, and it has become part of our shade determination protocol.” Dr. Mendoza concluded, “It’s a wow-maker for my patients, who notice the attention to detail when we use this technology.”
Takeaways
• Spectrophotometry scans, analyzes, and flawlessly matches the shade of any tooth in minutes
• Calibrating tips eliminate external factors that interfere with color analysis
• Eliminates reliance on less optimal readings from unreliable shade guides and inexperienced staff
• Streamlines in-office shade matching and saves time
