Implant Crown Doesn’t Match

Posted by writeradmin

I don’t know what to do. I had a dental implant placed on the tooth right next to one of my front teeth. When the crown was put on it didn’t match the rest of my teeth, which made it obvious I had a fake tooth. I went to see my dentist about it who said it looked fine and I should give it time. I did, but guess what? The color didn’t miraculously match the rest of my teeth. I went back and he very reluctantly agreed to re-do it. He sent me to the lab for a color consult. When the crown was ready, he didn’t even check it, he just bonded it on. I will say, he had trouble getting it attached to the dental implant and I am very sore as a result. The color is even worse and I am in pain. I’m not even sure I should trust him to redo it and doubt he would agree to etiher. Will it damage the implant to redo this again? If so, can I have a porcelain veneer put over this?

Danuta

Dear Danuta,

What you have is a situation where your dentist does not have the skills to do what you are asking. Many dentists go into their field because they like to fix things. They have an engineering mindset and are not that interested in the aesthetic side. This was obvious to me based on what you described. Here are some things a dentist with true skill and interest in cosmetic dentistry would never do that yours did:

• Told you the tooth looked fine and to give it time
• Sent you to a the lab for the color consult
• Didn’t use a temporary paste to allow you to check the results and see if you like them

When a dentist is a true cosmetic dentist, he will always be interested in the patient’s feeling about the results. Always. If you don’t like how it looks, changes are made. Additionally, the dentist is the one who should be giving the orders to the lab, not the other way around. The poor lab technician does not have the training to match color. They are trained to follow the dentist’s instructions. Sort of like a pharmacist fills a prescription from the doctor, but won’t diagnose you.

If the dental implant is good, and you don’t seem to have any problems with that, I would tell him that you just want a refund on the dental crown portion and have that redone somewhere else. Do not try to have anyone put a porcelain veneer over the crown. Very few dentists know how to bond that properly. You won’t damage the dental implant by redoing the crown and that is the best way to fix this.

I am sorry for your experience. Look for an AACD accredited cosmetic dentist. The accreditation means that he or she is an expert cosmetic dentist. They are in the top of their field and have a true expertise in the aesthetic side of dentistry as well as the technical side.

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