The Esthetic Guide (US Patent 2004) and the Visual Elements Technique was developed to support Translucency, Value, then Color (hue and chroma) as the proper language for tooth description.
Light is energy and it is mainly transmitted or reflected by tooth structure. Reflected light stimulates our vision and we see brightness, we call this Value. UV Light conversion (fluorescence) and refraction (Opalescence) also create brightness. Color is produced only by some of the reflected light , value is the overall energy of a tooth and more important than color.
Shade taking has ignored Translucency. This passage of light through teeth allows us to sense the 3-dimensional world of depth and volume. The use of translucency and opacity in the layering process allows us to create formations within the space of a restoration. Hiding the opaque, making dentin, mamelon and enamel formations, even the strength of a crack line depends on the translucent level of the materials used. Dentists who have directly bonded anteriors with a definite mamelon and incisal pattern know this is not accomplished with color. Translucence/Opacity is the most important property of restorative materials for reproducing tooth structures.
Translucency and Value are more important elements of tooth structrue than Color and is the information that tells us the energy level of the teeth, and its distribution pattern within the space of the restoration. This is the only language that dictates to the ceramist the proper use of translucent materials and the energy producers opacity, fluorescence, and opalescence.
