I’m not sure what to do. My dentist gave me a crown and said he’d give me the whitest shade available because I whiten my teeth. The temporary was darker, which was embarrassing but he swore up and down the permanent one was whiter and the permanent one would be bonded on with their whitest bonding agent which makes it whiter. When the crown came back it was at least two shades darker than my teeth, just like my temporary one. I was very upset and wouldn’t let him bond it on. He was equally upset and pulled out some kind of colored tooth guide to prove to me he used the whitest shade. He said I wouldn’t have any better luck elsewhere. I’m sad we parted on bad terms, but we’re talking about my smile. I don’t want to be embarrassed for the rest of my life. Please, please tell me I will have better luck elsewhere. Surely other people who whiten have had to have crowns.
Leslie
Dear Leslie,
Old Shade Guide
My guess is your dentist showed you a shade guide just like the one above. This is intended to help dentists match dental work to the shade of the patient’s teeth. It worked fine for many years. Then, teeth whitening became popular and that shade guide was no longer accurate.
Yes, teeth whitening will remove stains and things to make your teeth the color they were in your youth before years of eating and drinking accumulated stains. However, what most people don’t know is it will also whiten natural tooth structure as well.
Teeth Whitening Changed the Game
Updated Shade Guide
As teeth whitening grew more popular, dentist began having trouble matching up the new shades of teeth with the guides they had. Fortunately, the shade guide caught up and added an extension with cosmetic shades.
Any true cosmetic dentist goes by the updated guide. Your dentist isn’t a true cosmetic dentist. I realize he may be the dentist who whitens your teeth, but that doesn’t require any real cosmetic expertise. Any dentist can do it. However, if you were going for a true cosmetic procedure, such as porcelain veneers, it would require a serious cosmetic dentist with technical skill and real artistry.
As for your porcelain crown. It’s great that you didn’t have it permanently bonded. Try another cosmetic dentist. They can get you a gorgeous crown that matches your white color— no matter how white it is.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.