Shade guide, method for discriminating tooth colors, artificial tooth manufacturing method

A shade guide comprising:

• a plurality of support plates, each of the support plates detachably carrying a plurality of shade tabs having mutually different colors as a single row;
• a base having bottom, front and rear walls and an open top, removably supporting the plurality of support plates at a plurality of heights and in adjacent relationships to define a plurality of column groups of the shade tabs, each of the column groups comprising plural support plates positioned at different heights, the shade tabs of each of the column groups being arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows and a plurality of vertical individual columns;
• wherein the plurality of shade tabs are arranged in a pattern determined by:
• S values assigned, respectively, to a plurality of first straight lines having a predetermined slope k (0<k) in an L*-C* plane in an L*a*b* color system;
• V values assigned, respectively, to a plurality of second straight lines having a predetermined slope m (0>m) in the L*-C* plane, such that the first straight lines and the second straight lines intersect each other;
• and
• H values assigned, respectively, to a plurality of third straight lines in an a*-b* plane in the L*a*b* color system;
• wherein the plurality of column groups are separated based on the S values such that each column group includes shade tabs within a common fixed range of S values;
• wherein the plurality of rows are separated based on the V values such that each row includes shade tabs within a common fixed range of V values;
• and
• wherein the plurality of individual columns are separated based on the H values such that each individual column includes shade tabs within a common fixed range of H values,
• wherein in each column group, the support plate with shade tabs having a reference V value is arranged at the uppermost row, and
• wherein in each column group and in each row, the plurality of shade tabs are arranged so that a shade tab having a reference H value is arranged in the center, a shade tab whose H value indicates a more intense reddishness than the reference H value is arranged on one side of the shade tab in the center, and a shade tab whose H value indicates a more intense yellowishness than the reference H value is arranged on another side of the shade tab in the center.