A decade ago, I had nine crowns placed on my front teeth. At the time the dentist couldn’t make them as white as I wanted, I guess because the technology wasn’t there. I know it is now because I see friends with very white crowns. I am about to replace them and told my dentist that I wanted them very white- like Hollywood white. He suggested a B1, which looked white, but when the temporaries were placed on my teeth they were not as white as I was expecting. I told him that I was hoping for whiter, but he assured me that is the whitest they can get because I have posts in the crowns. Any whiter and the posts will show through. Is there any way around this?
Elisabeth
Dear Elisabeth,
In order to get the beautiful, white result that you want, you are going to need an expert cosmetic dentist. I’m a bit concerned your dentist is in over his head. I say this because he is confusing color with translucency. Having a whiter color on your porcelain crowns does not make the tooth more translucent. You said that your posts were not showing through at a B1. If that is the case, then they will not show through at a BL1, which would give you a super white color.
Ask your dentist if he has ever done one of these crowns with the BL1 shade before and ask to see before and after images. If he hasn’t or he cannot show you the images, then I would say to look for another dentist who has the experience and artistry that you need for a successful outcome that will make you proud to smile.
I would ALWAYS look at the smile gallery of a dentist with whom you are considering having cosmetic dentistry done. If they don’t have a smile gallery, they are not serious cosmetic dentists. It is in your best interest to move on to someone else. Also, make sure you tell the dentist what YOU want in the smile. They should only put them in with a temporary try-in paste for you to get a close look at in a variety of lightings. Only when you are pleased should they get bonded back on, no matter how many try-ins that requires. Settle for nothing less.
This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Marion.