My schedule is so tight that I decided to get a same-day crown at a local dentist near my job. The crown is for a right lateral incisor. The dentist was confident that she could make a perfect match, but the crown did not. She replaced the crown twice, each time with the wrong color. During my last visit, the dentist told me to be happy that I could get the tooth fixed in a day. But my tooth isn’t fixed. I want this obvious mismatch corrected. Am I asking being unreasonable? – Thank you, Lizette

Lizette,

We understand your disappointment. Your dentist made it seem like you are asking too much to have your crown match your other teeth. A match is essential for a front tooth, especially if you want to feel comfortable about your smile.

Matching a Dental Crown for A Front Tooth

It takes skill and patience for a dentist to achieve a perfect match for a crown on a front tooth. It becomes more challenging to achieve the match with a same-day crown—especially if the dentist does not understand techniques for doing aesthetic touchups to the crown. It is normal to try in the crown two or three times to ensure a perfect match. However, a skilled cosmetic dentist will not give up and tell you to be happy with the results.

Your dentist may use a Vita shade guide and be frustrated because the shade guide isn’t achieving a match. However, an advanced cosmetic dentist would take these steps to achieve a match with a crown:

• Work with a master dental ceramist to craft a highly aesthetic crown
• Draw a color map for the ceramist
• Provide written instructions that specify a basic shade
• Draw areas where the ceramist would need to add tints to exactly match your natural teeth
• Try in the crown when it arrives to check for color and take pictures of your teeth
• Communicate discrepancies with the ceramist and send photos
• Cement the crown only when the try-in is successful and you approve the crown’s appearance and fit

Get a second opinion

Although same-day crowns offer convenience and a metal-free alternative, if your dentist doesn’t know how to get a close match to your natural teeth with the crown, you are wasting time and money. Many dentists do not have much training in cosmetic dentistry beyond dental school. Don’t be surprised if a cosmetic dentist recommends a custom crown from a ceramist to give you beautiful results. We recommend that you find a cosmetic dentist to examine your crown and explain your options for matching a crown to your tooth shade.

Baton Rouge family dentist Dr. Ryan Perry sponsors this post. Please read about how he strives to provide his patients with the best care possible.