Dentist Can’t Get My Implant Crown Right

Posted by writeradmin

I had a dental implant placed on a lateral incisor and my dentist has not been able to match the crown to the adjacent teeth. I’ve had him send it back twice already. The last time, he said I am being too picky. Apparently, my teeth are between the shades A1 and A2. He warned me that if I keep having him switch them I could damage the implant. I don’t want to do that. I can’t be the only person who has teeth that don’t align exactly with the standard colors, though. What do dentists typically do in that case? Is it just a matter that I am being too picky? I just want my teeth to match when I smile. Would it be possible to whiten my teeth to match the color he can do?

Penny

Dear Penny,

I am glad you wrote. It is not being too picky to want your teeth to match. Plus, this dentist not being completely honest with you. Your dental implant will not fall out because you are having him replace the crown, especially not if he did the dental implant correctly. Plus, he should be letting you look at these porcelain crowns first with a temporary try-in paste, which are super easy to remove.

You are correct that you are not the first person to have teeth between the standard shade guide offerings. These shade guides alone work fine for back teeth because the shadowing means exact matches are not necessary. However, you are dealing with a tooth that is visible when you smile so your dentist is going to have to do more than just pick a shade. In all honesty, he may be in over his head. It takes someone who does a lot of cosmetic dentistry and has some expertise to do this right.

There are special tints and stains that an expert cosmetic dentist uses in their tooth design. To the left is an example of a color map a dentist would send to the lab. They would list out the various tints needed and then draw out where those tints should go.

This of it a bit like the shading you see when artists paint or draw. They can add depth and dimension, even changing the appearance of the color, shape, and translucency.

Your dentist does not seem to know about that, which tells me you are not with the best dentist for your needs. He may be a fine bread and butter dentist who just does cleanings and fillings, along with some other basic services. You have higher standards for your teeth and will need a dentist who holds their work to that high standard as well.

He does not appear to like putting forth any effort with the appearance of the teeth and is only in an engineering mindset. I am frustrated for you.

My suggestion would be that you ask for a refund on the dental crown. He could not provide one that matched your teeth. If the dental implant itself is fine don’t ask for a refund on that. Then, I want you to see a dentist who has some expertise in the cosmetic side of things. the best cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited, but depending on the area you live that may require some travel.

As for the teeth whitening, it is nearly impossible to stop teeth whitening in time to match a specific shade. This is because the whitening process continues for one to two weeks after you stop using the gel. We generally suggest, if you want whiter teeth and have some , that you whiten first and then match the dental work to the new, whiter teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Franklin, TN Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Christopher Weber.