Custom dental shade guide selector and method for its use

A dental shade guide selector including a sample tooth having a specific shade or color for matching with the color or shade of real teeth for providing the color or shade for an artificial crown or tooth having a support structure and a veneer of porcelain or the like, said sample tooth comprising a frame having:

• a body portion having a front surface and a rear surface, an incisor end and a gingival end for positioning adjacent the gum line of the patient when matching the color of the sample tooth with the color of adjacent real teeth;
• a rim extending outward from the periphery edge of the front surface of the body portion;
• a layer of porcelain affixidly attached to the body portion and confined within the area bordered by said rim;
• and
• a pair of spaced apart feet attached to the rear surface for defining a channel therebetween for receiving the support structure of said artificial tooth inside the patient's mouth, the cross-sectional area of each of said feet being substantially an inverted "T" shape incuding a bottom bar and a forward extending neck for attachment at the forward end thereof to the rear surface of the body portion.

A dental shade guide selector including a sample tooth having a specific shade or color for matching with the color or shade of real teeth for providing a support structure and a veneer of porcelain or the like, said sample tooth comprising:

• a body portion having a front surface, a rear surface, an incisor end, and a gingival end for positioning adjacent the gum line of the patient when matching the color of the sample tooth with the color of adjacent real teeth;
• a rim extending outward from the periphery of the front surface of the body portion;
• a pair of spaced apart feet attached to the rear surface for defining a channel therebetween for receiving the support structure of said artificial tooth inside the patient's mouth;
• and
• a pair of tongs for gripping said outer parts of said feet, each of the outer parts of said feet at least at one end of said body portion including openings, and said tongs including a pair of tong members and each of the tong members including prongs for positioning in said openings.

A dental shade guide selector including a sample tooth having a specific shade or color for matching with the color or shade of real teeth for providing the color or shade for an artificial crown or tooth having a support structure and a veneer of porcelain or the like, said sample tooth comprising a frame having:

• a body portion having a front surface and a rear surface, an incisor end and a gingival end for positioning adjacent the gum line of the patient when matching the color of the sample tooth with the color of adjacent real teeth;
• a rim extending outward from the periphery edge of the front surface of the body portion;
• a layer of porcelain affixidly attached to the body portion and confined within the area bordered by said rim;
• a pair of spaced apart feet attached to the rear surface for defining a channel therebetween for receiving the support structure of said artificial tooth inside the patient's mouth;
• and
• a holder having a pair of pathways formed therein, to receive said feet of the sample tooth, for storing said sample tooth, each of said feet including a bar portion and a neck portion, said neck portion being attached to the rear side of the body portion, the cross-sectional area of each of said feet taken on a plane passing through said bar portion being substantially an inverted "T", and the cross-sectional area of said pathway also being substantially an inverted "T" to receive said feet.

A method for reproducing a color shade of teeth for an artificial tooth from a sample tooth constructed from a frame having a base plate and a removable rim, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a batch of a compound for forming the porcelain veneer of a sample tooth corresponding to a color shade;
• taking a first portion of said batch and applying it on said base plate within the area defined by said rim;
• securing said first portion on said base plate of the frame;
• removing said rim after said first portion is secured on said base plate;
• taking a second portion of said batch and applying it on a backing of the artificial tooth;
• and
• securing said second portion of said batch on said backing of the artificial tooth to provide said color shade on said artificial tooth.

In a dental shade guide selector including a sample tooth, a mold holder, and a tooth sample gripping means, said sample tooth including a frame comprising:

• a base plate having a front surface and a rear surface, an incisor end and a gingival end for positioning adjacent the gum line;
• a pair of spaced apart feet attached to the base plate for defining a channel therebetween for receiving the support structure of an artificial tooth inside the patient's mouth;
• and
• securing means for associating the sample tooth with the mold holder and the gripping means.

A color shade tooth sample comprising:

• a base plate having a front surface, a rear surface, an incisor end, and a gingival end for positioning adjacent the gum line of a patient;
• a pair of spaced apart feet attached to the base plate for defining a channel therebetween for receiving the support structure of an artificial tooth inside the patient's mouth;
• a pair of flanges extending outward from the outer ends of the feet;
• a depression formed in the outer surface of said feet to receive cooperating hump for securing the tooth sample to another object;
• and
• a layer of porcelain or the like fused to the front surface of said base plate.