I had to get a dental crown on one of my front teeth. I decided to try one of those same day crowns. I think they are called CEREC. He bonded them in and I never really looked at them at the office. When I got home and looked in the mirror, I noticed that the new crown was much whiter than the rest of my teeth. I feel awkward about it because it makes the tooth look fake. Is there a way my dentist can change the color to match the other tooth? I don’t want to offend him, but I also don’t want a smile that doesn’t match. Do you have any advice for me?

Carol

Dear Carol,

I am usually pretty fair about the motives behind other dentists. However, I am curious as to why your dentist never showed you the crown before bonding it in or even before you left. Even when you get a haircut, your hairdresser allows you to see what the results look like. I fear your dentist knew that the teeth didn’t match and he didn’t want to admit it.

One of the problems with doing a CEREC crown on a front tooth is it needs an expert cosmetic dentist. CEREC crowns are milled from a single block of porcelain, whereas a lab will often use several different blocks of porcelain in order to match the different layers of opacity on a natural tooth. There is a way to mimic that with different stains and tints, but these have to be done before the crown is baked.

You have a couple of options here. Either way, the crown will have to be redone if you want it to match your other teeth. First, you can give your dentist another chance, but this time insist on him using a temporary try-in paste so you can see and approve it ahead of time BEFORE he uses the permanent bonding cement. Your other option is to just ask for a refund and go to a different dentist to have the work done.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.