Tag Archives: matching dental crowns

CEREC

Matching My CEREC Crown

I needed a dental crown and thought this would be a good chance to try my dentist’s new CEREC machine. I knew it would save me some time. At the appointment, we never really discussed the color. It felt fine and I assumed everything else would be as well. It was not until I got home that I saw the color discrepancy. Now, it is all I notice about my smile and I feel like the tooth looks fake. I don’t know what to do. I have tried using over the counter whitening products in order to get my other teeth as white as the CEREC crown, but thus far, no luck. Is it crazy to ask my dentist to darken it?

Sandra

Dear Sandra,

Block of porcelain for a CEREC crown

I do not think it is crazy at all to want your teeth to match one another. I can already tell you that your dentist has no real expertise in cosmetic dentistry. A true cosmetic dentist would have let you get a good look at the crown to make certain you approved of them before permanently bonding them on. It is possible that he noticed the color difference and didn’t want to have to redo them.

CEREC crowns are very convenient, but if you are having one placed on a front tooth, it will be important that the dentist have real cosmetic expertise. CERECs are milled from a single block of porcelain. This makes them look rather flat and bright. However, there are stains and tints a skilled cosmetic dentist can use in order to make them blend in well with the remainder of your teeth. Unfortunately, these have to be baked into the crowns before they are completed.

You have a couple of choices here. You can give your dentist another opportunity to get these right or you can ask for a refund and get this done properly elsewhere. Whichever you decide, make certain they let you see the crown with a temporary try-in paste first so you can get a good look at them in several lights and give your approval or disapproval to get it permanently bonded on.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Cosmetic Dentist

family dentist versus cosmetic dentist

I had composite bonding done on a chipped tooth. The dentist who did them retired. My new dentist said they couldn’t replace the bonding and suggested a dental crown. He said because it was a front tooth the only way to get it to match was to do two crowns. I trusted. him. Now I have two crowns on healthy teeth and, while the match each other, they’re grayer than the rest of my teeth and look fake. What do I do?

Cameron

Dear Cameron,

a before and after picture of dental bonding for a chipped tooth.

The biggest problem you have here is you’ve got a family dentist who doesn’t understand cosmetic dentistry. You needed composite bonding repaired. He didn’t know how to do that. Instead of telling you that, he says it can’t be done and you need crowns. Why crowns? Because those are what he’s familiar with.

A second issue is the fact that he said you needed two crowns in order to get them to match. A skilled cosmetic dentist can match a single crown to a front tooth.

In your place, I’d suggest you do one of two things. First, tell your dentist you need these crowns re-done. But, only allow him to do it on some conditions.

  • He’ll need to use a temporary try in paste so you can see the crowns in your mouth to make sure they’ll match and you are pleased with them.
  • If you’re not thrilled with them, he needs to be willing to re-do them until you are happy with them.

If he doesn’t agree to that, then my second suggestion is you ask for a refund. He told you the teeth would match and they don’t. He also lied to you about the possibility of just getting the dental bonding repaired. You have the right to a refund.

Once you secure that, it is time to find a good cosmetic dentist to do this properly.

Finding an Expert Cosmetic Dentist

I’m going to suggest you look for an AACD accredited dentist. You can look them up for your area at aacd.com. These are in the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country. There aren’t many of them, so it may be hard to find one depending on where you live.

If that’s the case, there is a second resource. Look on mynewsmile.com . They screen cosmetic dentists for both their technical knowledge and training, as well as their artistic ability. Any of their recommended dentists can provide you with two gorgeous crowns

You may want to consider whitening your teeth if you are going to get the crowns replaced, this will essentially give you a bit of a smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.