Why Doesn’t My Crown Match?

Hello there,

I had a discolored front tooth, so my dentist made me a porcelain crown. It’s well made, but it’s an unnatural color.  I’m not happy with it, but it’s already cemented into my mouth. My dentist is willing to redo the crown, but should I go see my same dentist? Or try to find someone who specializes in crowns? I went to my family dentist because I thought it was most affordable, but I’m worried I should have gone to a cosmetic dentist in the first place.

Larry, from Rome, NY

Hello Larry,

If cost is that much of a factor, and you are willing to give your dentist another chance, stay with your current dentist. He sounds like he is willing to work with you so you can get a crown that matches your teeth. However, if you want a perfect-looking crown, you should look into starting over with a cosmetic dentist.

Your dentist sounds like he realizes he made a mistake with your crown, and is trying to make it right. Matching a crown to the front teeth takes a lot of skill. After each try-in, it must be sent back to the lab before a successful color match can be made. Even a skilled dentist or ceramist will take several tries before they can make a natural-looking match.

Your dentist was likely inexperienced in making natural-looking crowns. He may not have known how much time or effort it would take to make a crown for a front tooth.

A sign of an inexperienced dentist is when they ask to crown both front teeth, in order to ensure a color match. While this is one way to make sure the shades match, it does add an expense to the crown procedure .

One suggestion you can make to your dentist is to ask him to take photos of your smile using a high-tech intra-oral camera. This can help him get the most natural looking colors to match your future crown. Make sure the  pictures of your smile are taken under natural lighting can help your dentist match your crown to your natural tooth’s color. If he lacks the skill, the technology, or is unwilling to try, your best bet would be to go to a different cosmetic dentist and start over.

This blog post is brought to you by Scottsdale affordable dentist, Dr. Hillary Peck, of Peck Family Dentistry