If you want your lab to love you, give them this easy piece of information. Labs tell me all the time that they don't get enough data from dentists to create the restorations they know they can create.

Teeth as you know, have many layers of color. Providing your ceramist an approximation of the dentin shade gives him or her a great starting point to make sure that your crown looks like a tooth.

You can use any shade guide, but the IPS Natural Die Material Shade Guide from Ivoclar Vivadent is a great tool for helping your lab see what you are hoping to achieve. Simply pick the tab closest to the dentin of the prepped tooth and snap a picture and send it along on a flash drive or email it. Your ceramist will love you!