How do you read a tooth shade guide? Letters and numbers
In dentistry, shade is chosen with guides that resemble the paint swatches you may know from a hardware store. On the most widely used classic VITA guide, the letters indicate the hue family: A reddish-brown, B reddish-yellow, C greyish, D reddish-grey. As the number rises, saturation increases and the shade darkens; A1 is the lightest and least saturated shade of its family, A4 the darkest. Textbooks recommend choosing the hue family first, then the saturation, and finally confirming the lightness.
Another system, VITA 3D-Master, first groups teeth by lightness (1 the lightest, 5 the darkest) and then offers saturation and hue options within each group; here the recommended order is lightness, then saturation, then hue. Standard guides cover a narrower range than natural teeth and their steps are coarser than the eye can distinguish, so the idea of an exact match always carries a tolerance.
What is the difference between BL1, BL2 and A1?
A1 is one of the lightest natural shades on the classic guide and the colour of many young, healthy teeth. The BL codes are lighter shades added to the guide to match bleached teeth and sit outside the natural range; textbooks describe this extension as additional tabs that exist for artificially whitened teeth. BL1 is the lightest of the series, BL2 one step more saturated, and BL3 and BL4 are transitional shades approaching A1. The equivalent in the 3D-Master system is the 0M1–0M3 group.
| Code | System | What it means | On whom does it look natural? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1, B1 | VITA classic | Lightest natural tooth shades | Most adults, especially over 30 and men |
| A2, A3 | VITA classic | Most common natural shades in adults | Single-tooth restorations matched to neighbours |
| BL3, BL4 | Bleach extension | Light shades just beyond the natural range | Whitened teeth or very fair, young faces |
| BL1, BL2 | Bleach extension | Lightest shades, clearly outside the natural range | Young people with very light eye whites and skin, all visible teeth done together |
| 0M1–0M3 | VITA 3D-Master | Extra lightness group for bleached teeth | Similar use to the BL group |
The important point is this: these codes are not steps of quality or price. BL1 does not mean a more expensive or higher-grade ceramic; it is simply a lighter shade. The conditions for a natural look are covered in general terms in our Hollywood smile guide; this page looks at them from the angle of shade.
Why does the whitest shade not always look the most natural?
Natural enamel is translucent; it lets some light through, looks bluish at the incisal edge and gives a yellow-orange glow when lit from behind. A very light, opaque shade reduces this play of light and the tooth can look flat and chalky. Textbooks note that heavy surface staining increases reflection and lowers translucency, which is why a natural appearance is achieved with internal layering.
In a multi-centre image study, lighter shades were found attractive on women, while on men a rectangular tooth shape stood out; in other words, there is no single correct shade independent of sex and face type. Teeth that are distinctly whiter than the whites of the eyes do not read as natural on mature faces or darker skin. Studies also show that small colour differences can be perceived yet are judged acceptable up to a certain threshold, which explains why worrying about a perfectly exact match is unnecessary.
What are the steps of shade selection?
Shade is chosen at the start of the appointment, if possible at a separate visit, and not on teeth that have already been prepared. The order recommended by textbooks is as follows:
- The teeth are cleaned and kept moist; a dried tooth temporarily looks lighter and leads to a wrong choice.
- The surroundings are kept neutral grey or pastel; lipstick, bright clothing and coloured walls distort perception, so you may be asked to remove lipstick and wear a neutral drape.
- The eye is rested on a neutral grey surface; the tab is held at eye level about 25 cm away and each glance lasts no more than about 5 seconds, because the eye tires quickly.
- The hue family is chosen from the canine, the most saturated tooth; lightness is judged from a distance with the eyes half-closed.
- The tooth is divided into cervical (gum), middle and incisal zones and a shade map is drawn; cracks, white spots and incisal translucency are recorded on it.
- If no tab matches exactly, the lighter and less saturated one is chosen; ceramic can be darkened later with stain but cannot be lightened.
- The choice is confirmed under different lighting (daylight, clinic light), preferably by a second person, at one or two further visits.
Digital photographs and scans make it easier to pass the shade map to the laboratory; this workflow is described on our digital smile design process page.
Whitening and shade selection: which comes first?
If whitening is planned, it is completed before the ceramic and before the shade is chosen. Otherwise the veneers are matched to the existing teeth and a difference appears later against neighbouring teeth that are whitened afterwards. Tooth sensitivity is very common during whitening, and gel that leaks onto the gum from a poorly fitting tray can cause a burn; the treatment should therefore be carried out under a dentist’s supervision.
After whitening, a waiting period is allowed for the colour to settle and the shade is chosen afterwards. In a whitened mouth, placing BL-shade veneers on only the front six teeth and leaving the premolars at A2 creates a visible step in the smile; the number of teeth and the shade are decided together. This is covered in detail in how many veneers do I need.
How do the cement shade and the prepared tooth change the result?
Because a veneer is thin and translucent, two things beneath it affect its colour: the colour of the prepared tooth (the stump shade) and the colour of the bonding cement. Textbooks state that in thin veneers the cement shade noticeably influences the final colour, which is why a preview with colour-matched try-in pastes is done before bonding. A try-in paste seats the veneer on the tooth with a non-setting paste so the colour can be checked; if it is not liked, a different shade of paste is tried.
When a very thin, very light veneer is placed on a dark tooth, the underlying colour shows through and the result can look greyish even though BL1 was chosen. In that case the stump shade is reported to the laboratory, a more opaque base layer is planned or a crown is preferred on some teeth. Crowns with a zirconia core mask a dark tooth better, but because classic zirconia is opaque it must be layered carefully next to translucent neighbouring teeth. The material decision is compared on our zirconia or veneers page.
Common mistakes in shade selection
The most frequent mistake is choosing the shade at the end of the preparation appointment, when the teeth have dried out and the eye is tired. A drying tooth lightens noticeably within a few minutes; a shade chosen against it looks too dark once the mouth is moist again. The second mistake is deciding under a single light source; clinic lighting and daylight show the same shade differently.
The third mistake is relying on devices alone. Electronic shade-measuring instruments give repeatable readings, but their accuracy is limited and their clinical results have been found similar to visual selection; visual confirmation is still needed. The fourth is picking a code from photographs while ignoring the neighbouring teeth and the gum colour. Finally, the colour of a bonded veneer cannot be lightened afterwards; this is why choosing the lighter tab when in doubt is recommended, but that rule applies within the natural range and does not mean choosing the whitest.
How does the shade consultation work in Bahçelievler?
The shade decision is not a code picked in isolation; it is part of the design. At the examination, gum health, existing fillings and the number of teeth visible when you smile are assessed together. The general approach is to choose the shade on clean, moist teeth, in a neutral setting, with a shade guide, and to send it to the laboratory as a shade map. At the mock-up stage you see the lightness together with the shape on your own face, and before bonding the final colour is checked with try-in pastes.
For a pre-assessment you can send smile photographs taken in daylight without flash via WhatsApp; since a photograph changes with screen and lighting, the definitive shade is set at the examination with a shade guide. We go through your options together, without pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Is the difference between BL1 and BL2 visible to the eye?
With the tabs side by side, yes; viewed alone in the mouth, hardly, for most people. Both are very light shades outside the natural range, with BL2 one step more saturated. Colour-threshold studies show that small differences can be perceived but are judged acceptable up to a certain limit. The decision is made at the mock-up and try-in paste stage, based on which sits more harmoniously with the whites of your eyes and your skin tone.
If I choose A1, will my teeth look yellow?
No. A1 is one of the lightest natural shades on the classic guide and the colour of many young, healthy teeth. Next to bleached teeth it may appear warmer, but when judged together with the whites of the eyes, skin and lip colour, it reads as clean and bright on most adults. A yellow impression usually comes not from the hue family but from saturation and a lack of translucency.
Do a zirconia crown and a veneer look different in the same shade code?
They can. The same code is perceived differently in materials of different thickness and translucency. A classic zirconia core is opaque and does not transmit light; a veneer takes colour from the tooth and cement beneath it. If both are used in the same mouth, the laboratory balances them through layering and they are tried in side by side before bonding. The code alone therefore does not determine the result.
Can I choose my shade from a photograph?
A photograph is useful for a pre-assessment but not sufficient for the choice. Screen, light source, flash and the camera’s white balance all alter colour; the same tooth looks different on two phones. Textbooks require the shade to be chosen on clean, moist teeth in a neutral setting and confirmed under different lighting. You are welcome to send your photographs; the definitive code is set at the examination with a shade guide.
Do I need to remove lipstick for shade selection?
Yes, briefly. Lipstick, bright clothing and coloured accessories change the surrounding colour and disturb the eye’s perception of tooth shade; textbooks recommend that selection takes place in a neutral grey or pastel setting. Coming to the shade appointment in neutral-coloured clothing and without lipstick therefore helps. Once the selection is done you can of course put your make-up back on.
Can the colour of a veneer be changed after bonding?
Only to a very limited extent. Once bonded, ceramic cannot be lightened; it can be darkened slightly with surface stain, but heavy staining reduces translucency. This is why textbooks recommend choosing the lighter, less saturated tab when in doubt. The try-in paste rehearsal before bonding is the real safety step that lets you see the colour before it becomes irreversible.
I am over 50. Would BL1 suit me?
On most mature faces, shades outside the natural range read as artificial; the whites of the eyes yellow slightly with age and very white teeth clash with them. Shades such as A1, B1 or BL3–BL4 sit in better balance on these faces. This is a tendency, not a rule; skin tone, lip thickness and personal expectations are weighed together at the mock-up stage and the decision is left to you.
How is the shade chosen for a single veneer?
For a single tooth the goal is a match that cannot be told apart from the neighbours, which is harder than doing six teeth at once. The cervical, middle and incisal zones of the neighbouring tooth are mapped separately, cracks and spots are recorded and the stump shade is reported. The cement shade is adjusted with try-in paste. If needed, the laboratory checks the colour in the mouth. Knowing that an exact match carries a tolerance sets the right expectation.
Related guides
Contact: Yayla Dental Akademi, Ferit Selimpaşa Cad. No:44A, Bahçelievler, Istanbul (Basın Sitesi, opposite Migros; about 600 m from İlkyuva metro station, line M3). Monday–Saturday 10:00–21:00, Sunday closed. WhatsApp and phone: +90 544 289 66 33 · Online booking: DoktorTakvimi.
Sources
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Search the databases: PubMed · Google Scholar · NIH PMC · Cochrane (institutional access may be required).
This page is for information only; diagnosis and treatment plans are determined by a dentist after an examination. Figures are population averages from the cited sources and do not describe an individual outcome.
