Fig. 01 Common shade guides come in different shapes and sizes with the sole purpose of communicating only shade out of the bottle. These can be simply modified by the lab to resemble flanges or, in my case, a hole can be placed in the guide to allow for comparison of tissue surrounded by the acrylic.*

Fig. 02  My preference for subsurface colorization of all GC Naturecryl acrylic is Harvest Dental HD Gum. The kit is unique as it provides all the colorants needed to characterize any type cure of acrylic. It also includes a unique polished metal mold to fabricate colorized custom guides using self-curing acrylic and sample guides to illustrate possible color combinations.

Fig. 03 Using the metal mold, colorants and fibers are added to the mold first, and self-curing resin is poured on top and cured using a conventional pressure pot and warm water. This method works well for special cases where tissue match communication is desired but is tedious for fabrication of guides to be used to illustrate and market acrylic color characterization services.

Fig. 04 By using the 13 prefabricated guides included in the HD Gum kit and some PVS (lab) putty, you can fabricate multiple molds quickly and eliminate much of the time it would take to fabricate one at a time from the metal mold.

Fig. 05 Once the PVS molds are made, you can either employ the self-curing method to fabricate the guides directly into the mold or, like I like to do, use the mold and pour wax into them to fabricate investable wax replicas, employ colorants and cure/cool in 48 minutes using GC Naturecryl MC microwave cure acrylic.

Fig. 06 Take things a step further to introduce, market and fortify the difference between you and others. These types of guides provide the ability to convey natural base contour and the effects of coloring them based on tooth position. It also allows for exampling tooth coloring effects you can also offer.

Fig. 07  Employ the PVS mold to reproduce identical contours and tooth positions. Place teeth and pour wax. To maximize tooth cost, fabricate another guide that incorporates the three teeth from the left side, as well.

Fig. 08 Again, using GC Naturecryl MC, wax molds are invested and cured in a very short time. HD Gum colorants are usable with microwave acrylic, and the color effects are the same if you conventionally heat cure your denture.

Fig. 09 Keep a stock of guides around so as to never lose the chance to introduce your clients and their patients to the possibility of what you can provide beyond the pale.