Selecting nanotechnology-based composites using colorimetric and visual analysis for the restoration of anterior...

Currently it is possible to use direct composites and layering techniques to replicate the complex internal structures, visible shape, color, and surface anatomy of natural teeth. To do so, however, requires dentists to understand the principles of nature and the science of dental materials to determine the most suitable restorative material for a specific indication. By incorporating relatively new technologies--colorimetric analysis, which provides computerized shade guide definitions of a tooth and essential information to verify shade mapping, and a new nanotechnology-based direct composite--into composite layering techniques, dentists can more predictably replicate the esthetics of natural teeth. This article presents a case in which both technologies, used in combination with a composite layering technique, contributed to the esthetic and functional restoration of the maxillary central incisors.