Tag Archives: one visit crowns

Teeth Whitening

Should I Whiten My Teeth Before Getting a Dental Crown?

I broke one of my upper teeth and my dentist says I need a dental crown. The tooth is one you can see when I smile. I’ve been thinking about whitening my teeth for a while, and now I’m wondering if I should do that first. If I get the crown and then whiten my teeth later, will the crown whiten along with the rest of my teeth? I don’t want to spend money on a crown only to have it stand out when I finally get around to whitening.

Thanks,

Melissa

Dear Melissa,

Image of teeth whitening trays
Professional teeth whitening trays

I’m glad you asked this question before getting your dental crown. You’ve identified something that can make a significant difference in how happy you are with your smile afterward.

The short answer is that you should have the teeth whitening done before having your permanent crown made, provided your dentist determines the broken tooth can safely wait for the final restoration.

Dental Crowns Don’t Respond to Teeth Whitening

When you have a dental crown made, your dentist selects a shade that blends with your surrounding teeth. The problem is that teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure. It won’t change the color of porcelain or other dental materials.

If you get your crown first and then whiten your teeth, your natural teeth will become lighter, but your crown will remain the same color. Because this tooth is visible when you smile, the difference will be noticeable.

Your only option for changing the crown’s color at that point may be to replace it, which would be an unnecessary expense.

Don’t Get the Crown Immediately After Whitening

There’s another important consideration, even when you whiten first. You don’t want to finish whitening your teeth one day and have your crown’s shade selected the next.

Teeth will continue whitening for up to two weeks. They are also slightly dehydrated during whitening. As they rehydrate the color will stabilize. By waiting two weeks, you can make sure the crown matches your new smile as closely as possible.

What About Your Broken Tooth?

Because your tooth is already damaged, the first priority is protecting it. Your dentist can tell you how safe it is to put off the permanent crown. In some cases, a temporary crown can protect the tooth while you complete whitening. However, that isn’t appropriate for every situation, especially if the tooth is severely damaged or painful. The temporary crown will not be the color you are aiming for after the whitening, but it will protect the broken tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert family dentist Dr. Matt Roper of Vista Dorada Dental.

Emergency Dentist

Tooth Trauma Delay

A few years ago, while hiking, I tripped and damaged a tooth by breaking a part of a front tooth. I was out of town when it happened but did get an emergency root canal treatment with a dentist I didn’t really know. Once I returned home, my regular dentist checked it out and thought the work was good, but added a dental crown to it. Fast forward two years and the crowned tooth really started to bother me. It became sensitive to hot and cold. My dentist referred me to an endodontic specialist. He thought the problem was actually coming from the tooth next to the one with the dental crown because I have been clenching it in my sleep. Eventually, it stopped hurting, but now it is hurting again. They say there is nothing on the x-rays. I don’t know what to do. If something happened, is it normal for an adjacent tooth to have a problem a year or two later? What do I do?

Sammie

Dear Sammie,

A woman grabbing her jaw in need of an emergency dentist

I think I can help you here. First, once the root canal treatment was done on your tooth, the nerve was removed. So that means the tooth with the crown could not be the one sensitive to hot or cold unless the root canal wasn’t done or if it failed. This was an upper front tooth, which are the easiest root canals to do, so I don’t think it failed. Plus, your dentist checked it out and said it was fine.

I’m not shocked that they didn’t see anything on the x-ray. Until it progresses to an infection it might not be visible. It is also not unusual for a tooth to have trauma but not show problems for a year or so. I don’t know why your dentists are having trouble with this. My suggestion, if it is no longer bothering you, is to follow up with this and have an x-ray every year or so to check for a developing infection. It may never develop.

If you do have pain blow up before your yearly x-ray, get an emergency dental appointment because you want to stay on top of it.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.
Click here to learn about one-visit crowns.

CEREC crowns

Why Does My CEREC Crown Look Like a Piece of Chicklet Gum?

My dentist got in this new CEREC machine. He was so excited. In fact, I remember him talking about how he couldn’t wait to get it at my last appointment. So, when I needed a crown, he was almost giddy. He’d get to use his new toy. I was happy for him and happy about only needing one appointment. But, when I got the crown, it’s way whiter than the rest of my teeth and looks like a rectangular piece of Chicklet gum. I can’t believe my dentist was so excited about this. Is that was CEREC crowns always look like? I wouldn’t mind if it were a back tooth, but it’s a front tooth and very distracting.

Cyrill K.

Dear Cyrill,

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys.” It sounds like your dentist was as joyful as a boy at Christmas with his new CEREC machine. While it is the CEREC which mills the crowns, it’s the dentist who designs the crown.

If your crown looks like unnatural, it’s not because it’s a CEREC crown. It’s because your dentist isn’t a skilled cosmetic dentist. Have you tried telling him how unhappy you are with the crown? He might be willing to re-do it, especially if it means he gets to use his new machine again. Or, he may give you a refund.

If the color difference is the only issue, you may want to consider whitening the surrounding teeth to match the crown. Any teeth whitening you do will not affect the crown. It only changes the color of natural tooth structures. However, you mentioned the shape being different from the other teeth too, so re-doing it is the only thing which will fix that.

If for some reason he refuses, you may want to get a second opinion on the crown. If it’s obviously mismatched to the surrounding teeth, that dentist could put pressure on him to refund your money. Dentists care about what their peers think of their work.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Crowns without a temporary

I needed to get a dental crown. My temporary crown has fallen off. Of course, my know it all sister told me if I’d have gotten a cerec crown I wouldn’t have needed a temporary to begin with.  I’m sure she’d correct (she always seems to be), but can you tell me what this cerec thing is?

Nate- Boston

Nate,

I have a sister like that. As much as I hate to tell you this, she is right. CEREC crowns are milled at your appointment by a computer. They’re generally ready in about twenty minutes.

Because they’re done by computer, they generally will fit better as well.  You’ll have to find a dentist who uses CEREC technology.

Hopefully, your current dentist took care of your temporary crown.  You don’t want to leave that off because it can throw off your bite and your permanent crown won’t fit.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.