I have a dental implant that was placed on a front tooth. While waiting for the healing time to take place I wore a dental flipper. It didn’t completely match the adjacent front tooth but I knew it was temporary and that the porcelain crown would be better so I tried not to think about it too much. Unfortunately, my experience with the dental crown hasn’t been much better. I’ve asked my dentist to re-do it twice and now he is getting frustrated with me. He said the problem is that my teeth are between the two shades offered for dental crowns. Is there no way to get an exact match on this? Am I being too picky? It would not matter to me nearly as much if it wasn’t a front tooth.
Cassie
Dear Cassie,
You are not being too picky. It sounds like your dentist is used to doing a lot of general dentistry but does not have any extensive understanding of the aesthetic side of dentistry. There are shade guides that dentists use to match dental crowns to tooth color. However teeth are rarely exactly like the shade guides. On a tooth that is toward the back, this is not a big deal because close is enough with the shadows from our mouth hiding the minute differences.
A front tooth is different. A skilled dentist would not just send the lab a simple shade reference. They would send a color map along with it similar to what I have above. This uses different tints to help the lab mimic the variations that occur in our natural teeth. Your dentist may not be able to do this. It takes some skill and cosmetic training. He may not even have the material necessary to help him derive the correct color mapping.
So you know, when it comes to front teeth, even the most skilled cosmetic dentist will have to do several tries. They are harder than your other teeth because they are so exposed to the light. However, it sounds like your dentist isn’t trying to get an exact match and has just given up. In that case, you will be better served getting a refund for the crown part of your dental implant procedure and having that done by another dentist who is willing to put in the necessary work.
This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.