A tooth’s surface properties, such as gloss, shape, and texture, massively affect how light diffuses when it strikes a specific object, with a natural tooth’s semi-translucency making shade selection a particular challenge for cosmetic dental clinicians and technicians.[i] Shade matching is precise skill – one best learned from a leading dental technician.
Alina Ceclan is an expert ceramist with extensive experience and a passion for shade matching. An international lecturer, she has a focus on predictable shade matching for challenging anterior cases, specialising in the integration of OptiShade, Matisse AI, and MiYO systems. Across her career, Alina has helped countless clinicians and technicians achieve seamless aesthetic results through hands-on workshops and her contributions to dental publications.
Shade match like a pro
With a strong focus on bridging technology and artistry for superior patient outcomes, Alina provides cutting-edge skills and knowledge, and these will be on full display at the BACD 22nd Annual Conference, taking place on the 13-14 November 2026. Alina will be delivering a session on “Live Shade Matching with OptiShade & Matisse: AI Recipes for the Perfect Single Central Incisor with MiYO”. She sets the scene for the workshop:
“Shade matching is difficult – a patient’s satisfaction with the final outcome of a restorative treatment depends on how seamlessly the tooth sits with the natural dentition. My workshop will be a live and dynamic demonstration of one of the toughest challenges in aesthetic dentistry: matching a single central incisor in real time. A growing number of dental professionals are interested in OptiShade and I will meet this demand by showing how precise shade data can be captured with OptiShade Style Italiano, alongside how to generate instant AI-powered layering and staining recipes with Matisse and how to bring the restoration to life with ultra-thin MiYO liquid ceramics.
“The session will deliver a complete digital-analogue workflow that eliminates guesswork, reduces remakes and produces lifelike results that integrate beautifully with the adjacent natural teeth.
“Attendees will perform real-time shade measurement of a natural tooth, capturing lab, value, chroma, hue and opacity data, as well as highlighting the role of photography. Besides OptiShade, you will master Matisse software to instantly create a customised recipe for monolithic, micro-layering and staining protocols that precisely replicate natural tooth anatomy. Finally, attendees will apply MiYO liquid ceramics for ultra-thin effects (including mamelons, translucency and texture) in a single firing. This will achieve the vitality and depth to rival traditional layered restorations on zirconia. All this plus an interactive Q&A, case walkthroughs and many practical tips that you can take back to your practice and lab and implement immediately.”
“I hope that the session will illuminate the possibilities and detail of shade matching; what you have to do to get the desired outcome and what the limits are. The single central incisor is one of the hardest to do, and I want to empower clinicians and technicians by simplifying the process. It will be mind-blowing!”
A valuable network
For Alina, the BACD 22nd Annual Conference will be her first to attend. She shares her experience with the academy:
“I am very excited to deliver my session at the conference. When one of my clients, Dr Shivam Kotecha, Scientific Director of the BACD, approached me with this great opportunity to show shade matching with a live demonstration, it was a no-brainer! The BACD does a phenomenal job of gathering like-minded dental professionals together and identifying how we can collectively optimise our restorative treatments. I am also a great admirer of Dr Markus Blatz, so catching his headline speaker session at the event is a must for me too.
“In-person events like the BACD Annual Conference are invaluable for clinicians, technicians and students alike. Last year, I provided the ceramic work for a patient of Dr Raffaele Cedrola, and that treatment was submitted and ended up winning a BACD Award for Best Missing Tooth. So not only does the BACD provide a brilliant networking and educational opportunity with the Annual Conference, but it also spotlights individual accomplishments and recognises and supports the next generation of cosmetic dental professionals. I look forward to seeing you there.”
Book your place at Alina’s hands-on workshop today – tickets are limited to 17 spaces!
Pre-sale tickets at: https://bacd.com/pre-sale-bacd-22nd-annual-conference-2026/
BACD 22nd Annual Conference
13-14 November 2026
Royal College of Physicians
For further information and enquiries about the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry visit www.bacd.com
[i] Ciocan Pendefunda, A.A., Dascalu, C.G., Bahrim, S., Iordache, C., Luca, O. and Antohe, M.-E. (2025). Practical Implications in Contemporary Dental Aesthetics—Shade Selection Assessment Using Intraoral Scanners. Dentistry Journal, [online] 13(1), p.43. doi:10.3390/dj13010043.
