My porcelain crown looks very unnatural. I am extremely unhappy with my smile. Should I call the dentist?

Question

Last month I had a root canal procedure done on a front chipped tooth which required a porcelain crown immediately after to protect the weakened tooth from fracturing.

The day after the root canal, my dentist placed a temporary crown and assured me it would look more natural looking once he placed the permanent one. He then had me choose between two shades of white for my permanent porcelain crown. In the dental office, both shades matched almost perfectly with my other teeth. I decided to choose the first one he held over my tooth but then decided against it when he mentioned it was more yellow than the second option. So I went for the second option, the whiter one between the two. I figured someday I would whiten my teeth (a shade or two lighter than they are now with whitening strips) and having a more yellow porcelain would look terrible since crowns can't be whitened. My dentist, being a cosmetic dentist didn't give me any input in which color looked more natural for my front tooth and spent no more than 5 minutes with me in letting me decide which shade to choose for my front tooth. It felt very rushed.

Two weeks later, the dentist placed and cemented my new porcelain crown. I didn't see the crown until it was firmly cemented on. Again, in the office lighting, the crown looked very natural when I looked in the mirror he handed me. Even the dental assistant said it looked beautiful. It wasn't until I got home and smiled in my bathroom mirror that I saw that my crown is 5 shades whiter and opaquer than my other teeth. The difference is even more noticeable in natural sunlight. Pretty much in every light it looks fake except in the dental office. Also, It looks like the crown wasn't placed properly, it is protruding a bit. My natural tooth prior to the crown didn't protrude.

I am very unhappy with my smile. I avoid smiling or talking up close with others. I used to be proud of my smile before the porcelain crown. It looks like I have a Chiclet gum for a crown in terms of placement and color and opacity. I spent over $1,500 for a natural-looking porcelain crown out of pocket as I have no dental insurance at the moment, but did not receive what was promised. I'm still paying the crown off so I can't get a new one. I'll just have to spend an extra $200 to get my teeth professionally whitened because whitening strips will sure as hell not get my teeth white enough to match my crown. So, while I can't get a new crown, can I at least ask the dentist to remove and re-place the crown correctly so it's not protruding anymore? Is that even possible? What are my options? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I just had this same exact issue with my dentist only mine was a 4 tooth bridge! Ohhh i was depressed but i got the courage up to tell him, politely that i was very unhappy with the color as it did not match my other teeth! I was never asked if i liked the color or even given a mirror to look as it was a "rushed" procedure for him it seemed. And yes, i also paid cash.



What happened after i told him is now being redone, and it IS his fault for not having me agree on the right shade. He had drilled and yanked the bridge out (it was permantely cemented) and i was sent with my order to the lab so they can match colors. Be stern and don't wait too long. You deserve to be happy with what you paid for.

Answer 2

Right first of all, I don't think the dentist has done anything wrong regarding shade selection. He gave you the options and explained one was lighter then the other and he is right you can't whiten crowns so if you were planning on whitening teeth in the future always go for the whiter crown. so getting it replaced on basis of colour is very very unlikely.



As for the placement of the crown, if there is something obviously wrong with it for example a ledge between the tooth and the crown, you may have a case there for at least removal and re-cementation of the crown.



Also if the crown has gone a lot below the gum line you may be able to argue a new crown for that.



If the crown is very large compared to neighboring teeth again very little can be done to the crown itself, the amout of porcelain to take away would be too great. Although this is not as much the dentists fault as it is the lab that makes it, the dentist should have examined this before cementing the crown. Although sometimes crowns may look as though they are sticking out due to the colour difference.



Here is what I'd advise you to do, explain to your dentist, focusing on the crown protruding, as that is your best chance of the dentist doing something about it. Get teeth whitened, that is the reason you picked that shade in the first place. If you are unhappy with the dentists analysis you can always go for a second opinion, to see what they say.



Hope this helps

Answer 3

Stay away from the professional teeth whitening procedures and from the whitening at home kits. They are using extremely toxic chemicals that can cause IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO TOOTH ENAMEL and premature tooth decay.



Check out this site: http://www.naturalwhiteteeth.net - It's about how you can whiten your teeth 100% naturally. Same results but 100% safe and 1000 times cheaper.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Your dentist should have shown u the teeth before he put it on your mouth.

Answer 6

Can crowns get white by laser or not?