Tag Archives: dentist can't get my crowns right

Can I Trust My Dentist to Get My Crown Color Right This Time?

I fell in August and broke three upper teeth, including one front tooth. And I broke a lower front tooth. I did not like the dentist I had at the time, so I chose another dentist. I was so traumatized that they had to give me sedation even before an exam. The dentist did root canals and crowns on all my broken teeth. The crowns were the wrong color and tooth thick. Then he tried again with only slight improvement.

Now the crowns look light gray instead of almost medium gray. It is still unacceptable. The dentist said he could try again, but he does not sound confident. Also, my anxiety is increasing. Even though he sedates me, I am anxious about being sedated because I do not know how my crowns will look.  Is it worth giving my dentist another chance? Thank you. Cailia from Idaho

Caila,

Dr. Lacy would need to examine your crowns to identify the issue. Although you have not told us what types of crowns you received, you say they look gray. We guess that you have pure ceramic crowns with metal posts and cores to reinforce the insides of your broken teeth. In that case, the metal is showing through the crowns and making them look gray.

The issue is that your dentist does not know enough about cosmetic dentistry to give you crowns that fit your mouth, are not bulky and match your natural teeth.

How to Prevent Dental Crowns from Looking Gray

A dentist with advanced cosmetic dentistry training understands how to prevent ceramic crowns from looking gray. Three approaches include these steps:

Composite core

  • Perform root canal treatment
  • Insert a fiberglass post in each tooth
  • Add a composite core close to the color of your natural teeth

Metal core

  • Bond composite over the metal to block the color
  • Bond the crown over the opaque layer

Opaque the crown enough

Another alternative is to give the laboratory technician instructions about metal core color and extent and ask the tech to opaque the crown enough to conceal the metal.

Get a Second Opinion

Woman's face with her eyes closed while she receives dental work
You can relax with sedation and dentist you trust

An expert cosmetic dentist understands color manipulation and how to give you crowns that look natural. After two attempts from your dentist, we recommend that you find another dentist to replace your crowns and get them right.

Schedule a consultation first to ensure you are comfortable with the dentist. Although you probably still need sedation during crown replacement, you can have confidence that a cosmetic dentist will resolve the problems with your crowns.

Miranda Lacy, DDS of Plano, Texas, sponsors this post.