Hi there,
I opted for a same-day CEREC crown on one of my front teeth recently. The process was easy, quick, and convenient, but it was not until I got home that I finally got a good look at my new tooth. It’s a shade lighter than the rest of my teeth. Whenever I smile, it stands out to me, and because of the color, it looks very fake to me.
I tried handling the problem on my own by using teeth whitening products, but no luck. Can my dentist fix the color of my CEREC crown, or do I need to start the process all over again?
TJ, from Shreveport, LA
Hi TJ,
Your dentist should have asked you about the color of the crown before you left the office, especially since it is on one of your front teeth. Since your tooth is highly visible, a high-quality cosmetic dentist would be concerned with matching the crown exactly.
CEREC crowns are also milled from a block of ceramic that is all the same shade. Your dentist would have had to try to match your tooth to the ceramic prior to making the CEREC crown. Since he did not, he may need to remake the entire crown.
There are tints or stains available for CEREC crowns, but it needs to be applied prior to placing the crown in your mouth. The color needs to be applied and then baked onto the crown.
Your best solution is to talk to you dentist. They should agree to re-do the crown, since they were the one responsible for messing up the color. He should also try to use a shade guide prior to milling the crown to get the best match. However, when he remakes the crown, make sure you check the crown carefully before cementing it in place. Check it under the fluorescent lights, in natural light, a camera’s flash, all different kinds of light.
If you still cannot find an exact match, you can have a dental lab place porcelain over the ceramic core of the tooth. This is the most natural-looking way to color match a crown. However, only ask for a laboratory-made crown if you trust your dentist to be meticulous about the color-matching. If you do not trust them to remake the crown to your liking, you should opt for a different cosmetic dentist. If you are willing to give them a chance to fix their work, you can give them another chance.
This blog post is brought to you by Enfield CEREC crown provider, Dr. William Cummiskey, of Generations Dental Care.
