For more than twenty years I have had crowns on my two front teeth. They are porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns, as was normally placed back in the day. They have never looked all that great, but in recent years they have really started to look terrible. There is a dark line right where the crowns meet my teeth, and it is really noticeable because  I have a really big smile.

Is there anything that can be done to get rid of that line? If I have to replace the porcelain crowns, do you think Lumineers would work for me?

I appreciate your help with this.

Mallory from New Haven, CT

 Dear Mallory,

There really is not anything that can be done to disguise that black line, which as you have pointed out is one of the major drawbacks of porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. You also touched a little on the other issue with porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns when used for front teeth — they don’t look very good. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are too opaque to look realistic in the front teeth.

You will need to get them replaced with porcelain crowns, and Lumineers might be an option. But the best advice I can give you is to see an experienced, artistic cosmetic dentist for this procedure. Any dentist can claim to do cosmetic dentistry, but you’ll want one who has training, experience and talent. Smile makeovers require a rare balance of artistry and science, and only a small percentage of dentists have it. Make sure you choose the right professional, and you may have a smile you love for the first time in many years.

This blog brought to you courtesy of Dr. Mike Malone, Lafayette Louisiana cosmetic dentist.