Guide · Shade and esthetics
How to communicate shade to your lab
How to take a VITA shade, photograph the tooth with the tab beside it and record the stump shade for your lab, plus the mistakes that send a shade back.
Short answer
Take the shade before you prep or isolate, under daylight and within a few seconds, and write down both the code and the guide (A2 on VITA Classical, 2M2 on 3D-Master). Send a photo with the tab touching the tooth, in the same plane with the code visible, and give the stump shade whenever the restoration is translucent.
Step by step
- 01
Take the shade before prepping or isolating
A dehydrated tooth reads lighter. Record the shade at the start of the appointment, before the prep, the rubber dam or any prolonged air-drying.
- 02
Set up the light and surroundings
Use daylight or a standardized daylight lamp, not the operatory light. Ask the patient to remove lipstick and cover bright clothing with a neutral bib or drape.
- 03
Pick the shade quickly
Hold the tab against the tooth while it is still moist and decide within a few seconds; the eye tires after 5 to 7. With 3D-Master, choose value first, then chroma, then hue.
- 04
Photograph with the tab in frame
Place the tab against the tooth, in the same plane and edge to edge, with the code facing the camera. If you have a gray card, include it; if you have a cross-polarizing filter, send a polarized shot as well.
- 05
Record the stump shade
With e.max and translucent zirconia, the substrate changes the final color. Photograph the prep with a stump-shade tab or a tooth-shade tab beside it; for implants, tell us the abutment type.
- 06
Describe what the guide can't show
Note whether the shade shifts from cervical to incisal, and flag incisal translucency, white spots or craze lines you want reproduced. A quick sketch divided into thirds works.
- 07
Attach everything to the order
Send the original photos, with no filters or color edits, together with the shade code and the name of the guide, on the same portal order.
Before you start
You need a shade guide (VITA Classical, 3D-Master or another brand, as long as you name it), daylight or a standardized daylight lamp, and a camera or phone. A gray card and a cross-polarizing filter help but aren’t required. If you’re choosing between the two VITA systems, see VITA Classical vs 3D-Master.
Timing matters. In a randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Dentistry (2013), isolated incisors were already lighter after 10 minutes of dehydration, and the color had not fully recovered 30 minutes later. The authors conclude that shade should be taken before the teeth are exposed to dehydration.
Does the photo really help?
Yes. A shade guide is read by one person, under one light, at one moment; the photo reaches the bench and sits next to the restoration. Rondón and colleagues (Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2022) standardized photos with a cross-polarizing filter and a gray card and got more correct matches than visual selection. In 2025, another group found substantial agreement between cross-polarized photos and a spectrophotometer on the VITA Classical guide.
Mistakes that send a shade back
- Shade taken after the prep or with the rubber dam already on.
- “Match the adjacent tooth” with no guide value, or a code with no guide name.
- Tab held behind the tooth, out of focus, or with the code hidden.
- Photo run through a social media filter, auto “beauty” mode or a shifted white balance.
- A dark prep or metal abutment under a translucent restoration, with no warning on the order.
At check-in, “shade specified” is a required item; without it the case doesn’t move to design. Everything else the order needs is in our guide to sending a case, and e.max specifics are on our e.max crown page.
Checklist before you send
- Shade taken before the prep, in daylight
- Shade code and guide name on the order
- Photo with the tab in the same plane as the tooth and the code visible
- Stump shade or abutment type for translucent restorations
- Characterization noted (thirds, translucency, white spots)
Related services
Open a portal accountFrequently asked questions
VITA Classical or 3D-Master?
Either works as long as you tell us which one you used. 3D-Master arranges its tabs by value, chroma and hue, and you select in that order. Our article on the two guides covers the comparison in full.
My shade guide is another brand with VITA codes. Is that OK?
Tell us the brand. Sampaio and colleagues (2018) photographed VITA-coded ceramic shade guides and found they did not match VITA Classical across the B, C and D tabs. The same code doesn't guarantee the same color.
Why does the stump shade matter?
Translucent materials let the color underneath show through. In a 2025 study on high-translucency zirconia, substrate shade and restoration thickness both changed the final color. A dark prep or a metal abutment may call for a different material or thickness.
Can I send a phone photo?
Yes, taken in daylight with the tab in the same plane as the tooth and no filter. The photo also shows us the shape and surface texture of the adjacent teeth.
Sources
- Tooth shade determination · VITA Zahnfabrik
- VITA Toothguide 3D-MASTER · VITA Zahnfabrik
- A randomised controlled trial to investigate the effects of dehydration on tooth colour · Journal of Dentistry (2013)
- Clinical effects of dehydration on tooth color: how much and how long? · Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry (2021)
- Dental shade guide variability for hues B, C, and D using cross-polarized photography · International Journal of Periodontics & Restorative Dentistry (2018)
- Comparison of visual shade matching and photographic shade analysis · Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry (2022)
- Reliability of dental shade selection methods: agreement among spectrophotometer, intraoral scanner, and cross-polarization photography · Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry (2025)
- Evaluating the effect of high-translucent zirconia thickness and substrate shade on the final color of the restoration · Clinical and Experimental Dental Research (2025)
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