Hello there,
I chose to get a CEREC crown because then I’d only need one appointment. I thought I would get the best match going with CEREC. I thought everything looked fine, but then when I got home, I realized that the color was off. It looked a lot brighter that the rest of the teeth in my mouth.
My dentist is very busy these days, so I tried to fix it on my own with whitening products. However, no matter how much I brighten my teeth, I still cannot get them to match my crown.
If I go back to my dentist, can he make my crown darker? Is that possible? I want to make my crown look as natural as possible.
Thanks,
Dana, from Chicago, Illinois
Hi Dana,
CEREC crowns are milled from a block of ceramic that is all one color shade. Matching a crown from the top of the tooth to the tip is very difficult, and matching a crown on your front teeth is also very difficult. Teeth are not just one color, so a skilled ceramist would need to apply custom tints and shades in order to get the best match. However, these colors would need to be painted onto the crown prior to placing the crown.
If your dentist was a skilled cosmetic dentist, they would have been highly concerned with getting a precise color match, as well as checking with you about your satisfaction. If the dentist noticed the color was off, they would then need to redo the crown, so they may not have said anything in order to save themselves more work.
Your dentist can change the color of your crown, but they will need to redo your crown. Once your crown is redone, check it in many different light sources, such as natural light, bathroom light, and the flash of a camera. Once you are satisfied that it looks natural, you can ask them to cement it.
If you still cannot get a perfect match with your CEREC crown, you may need a lab to redo your crown. This can take some time, you will be getting a CEREC core with a porcelain overlay, and this could take two weeks or more.
In order to get to the best result, you may need to change cosmetic dentists. Your dentist may not have the skills needed to color match, or use the CEREC machine.
This blog post is brought to you by Enfield CEREC crown provider, Dr. William Cummiskey, of Generations Dental Care.