Baton Rouge Dentist

Whitening Crowns

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I had a dental crown put on over a tooth that was in bad shape and needed a lot of work. I was a little disappointed with how it looks. It’s a  little opaquey for my taste.  Is there anything I can do to brighten it? Will teeth whitening work?

Alishia D.- Greenville, South Carolina

Alishia,

Have you spoken to your dentist regarding how your feel about the crown? It sounds like it was put in pretty recently. If he hasn’t permanently bonded it, then he could send it back and try to get it to look like what you were expecting.

Because your describing it as opaque, I suspect your dentist placed a porcelain fused to metal crown. Those are definitely more opaque than the all-porcelain crowns because they have to be able to hide the metal foundation.

As far as using teeth whitening to improve their appearance, that won’t work.  Teeth Whitening, whether professional or over the counter, isn’t able to whiten any type of dental work. Your best bet is to have the rest of your teeth whitened, then have your dentist make a new all-porcelain crown (not fused to metal) that will match the new whiter color of your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Do they do smile makeovers with crowns?

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Not long ago, I decided to have a smile makeover. I thought I received porcelain veneers, but when I look at my teeth, the porcelain appears to go all the way around my teeth. I’m wondering if this was completed like this because my teeth weren’t strong enough before the makeover. Is it normal to have my entire tooth covered even though my procedure was done for cosmetic reasons?
– Anton in Louisiana

Anton,
There isn’t a big difference between porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns. In fact, it’s hard to determine when a porcelain veneer becomes a crown. In terms of fees, most cosmetic dentists have fees that are close to the same for either procedure because both types of dental work take about the same amount of work to finish.

When you receive cosmetic work, it’s quite common to have porcelain crowns done across your front teeth. Your dentist usually has a good reason to have the whole tooth done in the makeover. In fact, there are many reasons your tooth may be crowned.  If your tooth was weak in any way, if there were fillings in the teeth or if your bite needed improvement, you would need more extensive treatment.

It’s important that dentists discuss with you why they might recommend crowns. The majority of cosmetic dentists do their best to be conservative with their work. They do this by trying to preserve as much or your natural tooth structure as possible. They know that crown work is more aggressive and requires a substantial amount of tooth reduction all the way around and they do their best to avoid it whenever possible. However, sometimes the tooth is too weak and needs more stability with crowns. Veneers require only a slight shaving of the front of the tooth.  This is why you need to have a proper explanation for why you might need crowns.

This blog brought to you by Baton Rouge family dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.

How can I fix ugly porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns?

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Over 20 years ago, I decided to get porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns on my front top teeth and now they look bad. When I smile, you see a dark line and I have a large smile. How can I fix this? Would Lumineers be the best solution?
– Cindy from Louisiana
Cindy,
The answer to your challenge is simple – you need new, all-ceramic crowns, with no metal in them. The most important thing you need to know is this work needs to be done by an expert and artistic cosmetic dentist. You don’t want a regular dentist to do this so you need to do a little research to be sure you have a cosmetic dentist who can create beautiful smiles. The right cosmetic dentist will give you a gorgeous smile.

Just one crooked front tooth – what are my options?

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I’ve been reading through all of your blog posts, and think you have a great site. I feel like I could really trust your advice, so I am going to ask what you think about my situation.

I have one crooked front tooth, and when I say crooked, I mean SERIOUSLY crooked. It has always been embarrassing to me, and now that I am getting ready to enter a new career, I want to get it fixed. The problem is that I keep getting different advice from different dentists! This makes me really distrustful. I don’t know who to believe, and was hoping you could help shed some light on the situation.

One dentist said I should go with conventional braces, and another said that I could try Invisalign. I was wondering about just pulling it and replacing it with a dental implant, but neither dentist would discuss that option. A third dentist said that I could consider a porcelain crown, but that it would be really challenging to match to my other teeth and that I would really want to talk to an expert cosmetic dentist about getting this work done. Does it really make that much of a difference? And why the three different answers? It makes me suspicious that this is all some big conspiracy.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Alberta in Seattle

Dear Alberta,

Let us put your suspicions to rest. You received three different answers (all of them perfectly viable) because the three dentists you consulted all have different areas of expertise.

Conventional braces would certainly straighten your crooked tooth, but it could take up to two years to complete treatment. Invisalign treatment is usually shorter, and there are many advantages to that type of invisible braces. And finally, the dentist who advised you to talk to an expert cosmetic dentist was absolutely correct in stating that matching a porcelain crown or a porcelain veneer in the front of the mouth can be quite tricky. It is commendable that he or she recognizes this challenge and is giving you excellent advice.

Any one of the three solutions could work for you, so now it is time to decide which course of treatment would be best. It might be best to talk to an expert cosmetic dentist who also does Invisalign, as they could offer you the pros and cons of each solution.

The dental office of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry sponsored this blog post.

TMJ Disorder—Serious Case

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I hope you can help me. I’ve been fooled too many times, and really just need some good information. I thought I would right in and ask you, since you have nothing to gain by lying to me like my dentist did.

I just turned 30, but I’ve had porcelain crowns on all my teeth for more than 10 years. I have a severe teeth grinding habit. Because the original crowns were not properly placed, I have worn those down, too, and now have a lot of pain and clicking when I chew or move my jaw. The last dentist I trusted (she retired) said that I have an upper and lower slant which makes my jaws crooked and a posterior crossbite. Beyond all of the more serious physical issues, they are ugly. That might sound silly, but I am only 3o! They look terrible, and it really impacts how I feel about myself.

I went to see a dentist who billed himself as a “neuromuscular dentist”. He had me in a device for two years. Things have shifted around, but nothing is better! Now I get headaches every single blessed day. I don’t know who to turn to next. Should I see a prosthodontist? A cosmetic dentist? I just know that I can find someone who can make my teeth function properly AND look good, but I need to know where to look. Can you help?

Thanks so much.

Ava in Topeka, KS

Dear Ava,

You actually were smart to work with a neuromuscular dentist. The problem might have been that the dentist you worked with SAID they were a neuromuscular dentist, but did not have the proper training to ethically make such a claim. As you may have discovered, neuromuscular dentistry is not a legally recognized specialty. Like cosmetic dentistry, any professional can claim to provide those services without any specialized training at all.

You need to look for a dentist in your area that specializes in TMJ treatment, and preferably one that also has cosmetic dentistry training, too. Look for a dentist that has received training at an institute like the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, which is one of the leading facilities for training dentists in treating TMJ disorders. A dentist that has had the kind of training you are looking for won’t be shy about displaying those credentials.

This post brought to you courtesy of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.

Injured top and bottom front teeth

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Three weeks ago I took a bad fall, and now all of my front teeth – top and bottom – are turning black. Something feels like it is broken or jammed up near my nose. Could it be a broken root?

What I am wondering is whether or not I should see a dentist or a doctor? What will they do about this kind of injury, and is this going to be really expensive? I have good medical insurance, but no dental coverage. If my teeth are dead, will they have to be pulled and replaced with dental implants? Is it possible just to cover up the dead teeth with porcelain veneers?

Thanks for your help with this.

Randy in Lake Odessa

Dear Randy,

Your teeth will need root canal treatments. When a tooth turns black after an injury, it means that the nerve tissue inside the tooth has died. Possibly you have cracked the roots of your teeth. If that is the case, the teeth are not salvageable and must be removed and replaced with dental implants.

The darkened teeth will probably need porcelain crowns after treatment. There is a method of bleaching darkened teeth from the inside, but many dentists do not know how to do that procedure.

Were your teeth displaced in the accident? You don’t mention that they were, so for the purposes of this post, we’ll assume that they are all in the correct places. The “broken root” up near your nose is concerning, especially since something like that should have been addressed as soon as possible after your accident.

All of this treatment should be done by a highly skilled cosmetic dentist, which may not be the answer you were hoping for in terms of insurance coverage. As to how much the entire treatment will cost, it depends on whether or not the teeth can be saved. Root canals are a few hundred dollars each, and porcelain crowns are usually around two thousand, depending on what part of the country you are in. Dental implants are more than that.

I am afraid this will indeed be quite expensive, but our last bit of advice is to find a very talented cosmetic dentist to help you. Do not price shop for this kind of treatment. Best of luck.

This blog posted courtesy of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.