Miniaturized Dental Shade Guide with Segmented Color Samples
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental shade guides rely heavily on subjective assessment and are influenced by lighting conditions, lacking comprehensive coverage of tooth shades, including bleach and gum shades, and require complex calibration for electronic color detection.
Innovation Solution
A dental shade guide with a multiplicity of miniaturized shade samples arranged in close proximity to the tooth, allowing for direct comparison, featuring a compact design with a grid pattern, including bleach and gum shades, and optionally attachable via adhesive or clip for optimal visibility and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple individual color samples are used for shade comparison, then the manageability and direct comparability are improved, but the device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shade guide is segmented into multiple individual color samples (at least four different tooth shades) that can be separated from the carrier element. Each color sample can be individually handled, applied to the tooth, and removed, providing manageable pieces for precise shade comparison while keeping the overall device compact when samples are attached to the carrier.
Solution Approach 2:
The color samples are arranged in a grid pattern on the carrier element, utilizing two-dimensional space efficiently. This grid arrangement allows multiple shades to be organized in a compact format, fitting within a small area while maintaining direct visual comparability when placed adjacent to the tooth.
2Ease of operation
If curvature is added to color samples for better visibility, then the ease of operation is improved, but the lighting requirements and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Only the necessary portions of the color samples have curvature - specifically, the samples are shaped to match the contour of the tooth surface where they will be placed. This localized curvature ensures the samples follow the tooth anatomy for better visibility and comparison, while minimizing unnecessary three-dimensional complexity that would require additional lighting.
3Measurement precision
If electronic color detection is used to eliminate human influence, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and calibration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates physical copies of tooth shades in the form of color samples with standardized colors that match natural tooth variations. These color copies serve as reference standards that can be directly compared to the patient's tooth, providing objective assessment through standardized color reproduction rather than electronic detection, thereby avoiding complex calibration requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If comprehensive shade coverage including bleach and gum shades is provided, then the versatility is improved, but the device size and number of samples increase
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier element serves multiple functions: it holds and organizes the color samples, provides a stable base for attachment to the tooth, and acts as a reference background. This multi-functional design allows comprehensive shade coverage including bleach and gum shades to be integrated into a single compact device without proportionally increasing overall size.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~7
Figure 8~10
AI summary
The invention relates to a dental shade guide with at least two different shade samples representing different tooth colors. The total area of the shade guide (10) is smaller than the buccal and/or labial, i.e., vestibular, surface of two teeth, and the shade samples (12) are adjacent to each other and, in particular, attached to a single tooth.