ShadeWave Launches Next-Generation Shade Matching System

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Premier dental shade matching system uses cloud-based software to enable real-time lab/dental office communication.

Issaquah, Wash., January 23, 2016 – ShadeWave has launched the next generation of its dental shade matching system, which uses advanced science and improved algorithms to change the way dental labs and practices communicate, share information and create accurate shades.

The cloud-based software is accessible from anywhere and easy to use. Dental offices upload patient photos and a shade reference, choose a lab, and create a case. The lab is instantly notified of the case and then ShadeWave’s advanced algorithm creates a detailed map showing shade, translucency and value for the dental lab to follow when making the crown, bridge or other dental lab product.

This groundbreaking technology was inspired by a common dental industry need: the ability to accurately match the various shades in natural teeth when making crowns. As a result of ShadeWave’s extensive testing and development, labs can now produce the most accurate shades possible in dental lab products.

ShadeWave has become the preferred shade-matching system for a growing number of dental labs and dentists in the U.S., Canada and internationally, including:

  • Microdental Laboratories
  • daVinci Dental Studios
  • The Aurum Group
  • Modern Dental Laboratory USA
  • Issaquah Dental Laboratory, Inc.

“We have been using the latest version of ShadeWave with my lab for about 9 months. It’s a great system if your lab is on board and trained well. It doesn’t replace the talent of the ceramist – it just gives the ceramist lots of information needed to create a great result. We use it for both posterior and anterior shade matching. All the assistants know how to use it and it’s pretty foolproof from the dental office standpoint.” said Dr. Scott Rice, Rice Dentistry.

ShadeWave President Dennis Braunston has years of experience in teaching dental digital photography, imaging and case presentation. ShadeWave was developed to meet his clients’ needs for more accurate shade matching. “No other software system comes closer to matching shade, translucency and value than ShadeWave,” he said.

ABOUT SHADEWAVE

ShadeWave is an Issaquah, WA-based company and developer of the premier dental shade matching system available today. Developed by Dennis Braunston, ShadeWave solves the industry-wide problem of accurately matching crowns, bridges and other dental lab products to the various shades found in natural teeth. The company empowers its clients by enabling objectivity through advanced science and real-time communication. ShadeWave’s cloud-based solution provides customers with more accurate shades—thereby reducing remakes and lowering costs, while improving patient satisfaction. Building on Braunston’s success with Dental Learning Centers and his years of teaching dental lab and office personnel worldwide in digital dental photography, imaging and case presentation, ShadeWave is the preferred dental matching system for a growing number of dental labs and dentists across the U.S. and around the world. Learn more at ShadeWave.com or call 425-557-7788.

Color calibration of dental cameras is no longer required for dental shade matching.

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Color calibration and lighting is one of the biggest challenges dentist face when taking patient photos for shade. The lingering problem has been solved by ShadeWave Dental Shade Matching Software. ShadeWave automatically color corrects poorly lit photos in real-time and creates three proprietary digital maps: shade, translucency and value. These highly accurate maps provide a detailed guide for labs to achieve accurate and consistent dental shade matching results.

To illustrate this proprietary feature, Dennis Braunston, the Developer and President of ShadeWave conducted an experiment using a Canon G16 Camera and Shade Reference to take three smile photos with different lighting.

The camera was purposely color calibrated differently for each picture. Photo 1: was normal, or white balanced, Photo 2: was too red, and Photo 3: too blue. The photos were uploaded into ShadeWave and automatically color corrected.

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Notice that although the gum tissue looks slightly different, the teeth are all the same shade. This is highlighted in the Color Corrected Illustration in the column labeled, “Filtered, Neutral Gray.”

Dennis then sampled the Shade Reference tab and revealed the shade map of the two front teeth in all three photos. The software allows the user to switch between any Shade Guide they desire, Dennis chose to use Vita Classic.

ShadeWave assigns different colors to different shades. In the column labeled “Shade Map,” we can see that the program uses Yellow for C1, Burgundy for B2 and Green for A1. With ShadeWave the user can select the number of shades shown in the picture, in this illustration, there are three.

All three photos result in the same shade map when processed through ShadeWave. The maps display the same general characterizations of the tooth, and provide information needed to produce a beautifully matched crown.

What does this mean? This experiment shows that a digital camera no longer needs to be color calibrated before taking a photo of the teeth. With varying color differentiations, ShadeWave was able to accurately correct a photo to the same standards.

For more information on this article and ShadeWave visit: www.shadewave.com, or call Dennis Braunston at (425) 557-7788.