I have had the crown for my dental re-done twice. My dentist is fed up with me and believes I am being too picky. What I don’t understand is why the dental flipper matched my teeth better than this crown. She told me it is because my tooth is between two different shades. Is this a common problem with dental implants? This for a front tooth so I’d really like the teeth to match. Am I being unreasonable?
Mandy
Dear Mandy,
You don’t have to spend your life hiding your smile.
It is definitely not unreasonable to want your teeth to match, especially when it is a front tooth. Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. The fact that it is a front tooth is likely what is throwing your dentist. A back tooth only needs one of the basic shades, even though it isn’t a perfect match. With your front teeth, the light hits them more directly making all the color differences much more noticeable. A dentist can’t just pick a standard color and have it match to your teeth perfectly.
Instead, they’ll have to make a color map for the ceramist who is doing the porcelain crown for your dental implant. On this map, the dentist will chart out where certain types of tints and stains should be placed to ensure that color matches your adjacent teeth perfectly. Unfortunately, this type of color matching isn’t really taught in dental school. Like all other advanced cosmetic procedures, this has to be taught post-doctorally in courses designed specifically for dentists interested in learning how to do cosmetic work.
Your dentist obviously doesn’t have this training and isn’t interested in learning. Almost always, dental implants are paid for in two stages. The first payment with the surgery for the implant itself. The second payment then comes with the implant crown. If you haven’t paid that portion yet, don’t. Tell your dentist you are going to have the crown done by someone else. If you have paid for the crown, ask for a refund on just that portion of the fee, again telling her you’re going to have it done elsewhere.
Who Can Match a Crown to a Front Tooth?
You could check the smile galleries of all the dentists in your area to see who has great results matching front teeth. That is a LOT of trouble to go through. A sort of “cheat” is to look for an AACD accredited dentist in your area. These are dentists who have made serious investments in cosmetic training. They will have the technical training as well as artistry needed to seamlessly match your other teeth.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
