I already have one dental crown and three porcelain veneers. The dental crown has a problem with a black line showing at the gumline and the porcelain veneers are starting to show their age. My dentist has suggesting crowning every tooth because it can make my teeth look whiter as well. They’re showing some aging as well. I want a pretty smile, but I am worried about that gray line thing. Having it on one tooth is bad enough. What if all the crowns get one?
Lindsey
Dear Lindsey,
I am glad you wrote. The answer to your question is an easy one, but there is a much more serious issue here that needs to be addressed. If I understand correctly, the only reason your dentist wants to place crowns on every one of your teeth is because those teeth need whitening? Why not just do teeth whitening? Crowning the teeth to whiten them is a massive overtreatment. Dental crowns would require grinding down those teeth. If they are healthy, you would not want to remove their structure.
There is another issue here. The procedure for crowning every tooth is called a full-mouth reconstruction. It is one of the most advanced procedures in dentistry. So why is your dentist suggesting that instead of teeth whitening? This is just a guess, but teeth whitening will bring your dentist a few hundred dollars, while a full-mouth reconstruction would bring him in upwards of $30,000. I’d hate to think your dentist is milking you for fees, but it is either that or he’s using you as a guinea pig to practice a difficult procedure.
This is dangerous for you. If the procedure isn’t done properly, by someone with advanced training in reconstructive dentistry. Without that, you are very likely to end up with TMJ Disorder and a lifetime of jaw pain and migraines.
The Better Treatment Option for You
My suggestion is you get as far away from this dentist as possible. So, what suggestion do I have for your procedure? I’d like you to take these steps:
- First, have teeth whitening done. This will get all your teeth the color you will want for the replacement cosmetic work.
- Second, replace the dental crown and porcelain veneers.
- You want to replace the porcelain veneers with veneers. That is because you do not want to remove any more tooth structure than necessary.
- With the dental crown, you want to make certain that whatever dentist you end up with, places an all-porcelain crown to replace your old one. The reason for the gray line at your gumline is because you currently have a metal-based crown. These always end up with that gray line.
Who Should Do This Work?
For both the porcelain veneers and the porcelain crown, you will want an expert cosmetic dentist in order to ensure you end up with beautiful results. My first choice for any type of cosmetic work would be to get an AACD accredited dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.