Spectrophotometers

Spectrophotometers (Fig. 32, 33) are easy-to-use, very accurate, repeatable, and reliable instruments for color matching in dentistry.^1,7 Their utilization helps eliminate the uncontrolled variables during the shade-matching process. They quantify the spectral reflectance of an object, one wavelength at a time, for each hue, value, and chroma present in the entire visible spectrum. ^1,7,64 A spectrophotometer contains the following key components: a source of optical radiation, a photodiode detector, an indicator, a system for scattering light, and a monochromator that converts light into a signal.^1,7 The signals obtained from this device are transformed into easily interpretable readings that correspond to shade guide values.^1,7 Examples of spectrophotometers are Vita Easyshade compact (Vita Zahnfabrik, Bad säckingen, Germany), Shade-X (X-Rite, Grandville, MI), SpectroShade Micro (MHT Optic Research, Niederhasli, Switzerland), and Crystal eye (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan).¹