Crown shading question

Chipnick

Hi all

Just had temp crowns fitted on two front teeth. One was damaged from an accident, the other wasn't far behind. I wanted new front teeth which weren't cracked and I also wanted a whiter smile.

I'd braces as a teen so my teeth are rather straight and look good in certain lights but not natural lighting. According to my dentist, my teeth were just over an A3 in shade - perhaps due to the years when I used to smoke.

I decided to go ahead and crown the front two and underwent bleaching on all but my two front teeth. I apparently went down to just over an A2 or thereabouts. I am to be given some trays to bring them down 1/2 of a shade.

My new crowns are being made and they will be an A1.2 shade. Can anyone tell me whether this will look white - not 'cheryl cole' artificial white, but white enough to warrant spending all that money!!

I would rather have whiter crowns and then save and veneer the one to either side of the front teeth (something I would like to do down the line not because they are damaged teeth, but because I want a whiter smile) than have yellow tinged front teeth and be stuck with them.

Any help appreciated. Many thanks.

davo10

OP the dentist will match crowns to the colour of your natural teeth, however white the are, the crowns will be. You can go a tiny bit whiter with the two front teeth as these generally are the brightest teeth in your mouth. Do not fret, all dentists try the crowns in position and show them to the patient prior to final cementation, if you have concerns raise them after you have viewed the crowns in position. Do not go ultra white, what looks great now will look silly when you are sixty, just a nice natural white which makes people think you have nice teeth, not nice crowns. That is the difference when you get quality crowns, they look natural.

Chipnick

Thanks Davo. I am definitely fretting! I am getting the best crowns available and have spoken with the gent in the lab who was very helpful. I just have noooo idea what this shade will look like and I am dying to know whether it is more on the yellow or white spectrum - I'm even dreaming about it. Sad, I know ha!!

btkm8unsl0w5r4

OP this is not your problem, let the dentist worry about it and you just tell them at try in whether you like them or not. Be very fussy at this appointment, that the time to speak up.

Chipnick

I will indeed take on board your good advice, Fitzgeme. Thanks to both of you for your helpful responses.

Chipnick

I am back again.. Here is what happened, apologies for the rant:

I had the permanent crowns cemented a couple of days ago. I am sure the response I get here will be along the lines of 'caveat emptor' and that perhaps I was naieve to go with the flow. I had a gut feeling that this was not going to turn out to be the result I had hoped for. But I am up now at this hour worrying - I feel really down abut it and annoyed that I allowed myself to trust the experts. Nobody is dying but I can't believe how much I regret spending all of that money and going through a lot of pain for a marginal difference!!!!

Basically, my new crowns are darker than my temps were which makes my smile look even more like the old one than ever. Almost 2 grand later, ouch! They look like straight teeth but teeth that could do with a bit of a whitening treatment - kinda like lovely teeth for a middle aged person if that makes sense.

Not being a dentist, I didn't understand what shade the temps were when fitted but liked them and I was told the perms would be 'even brighter' than the temps. So far, so exciting. As I never saw the shade selected for me for the perms (a1.2) or knew the shade of the temps, I spent a bit of time researching crown shades and looked for shading advice on here. I spoke on the phone to the lab who asked for a picture of my teeth. The guy kindly phoned me and said my temps looked like an 'A2'. It turns out they were an A1. He proposed putting an A2.3 on my teeth. I said this sounded like a bit of a jump in shade. He finally agreed to go with the dentist's selection of A1.2.

When I went to have the perms cemented, I was ready to really be sure as per Fitzgeme's advice did indeed have a quick trying in but my god, my front teeth were so sensitive, my dentist suggested I should have 'probably had a root treatment' done on them prior to thinking of crowns (for the record, I don't even brush my teeth with the cold tap they are that bad and one was damaged in an accident so very cracked and extra sensitive etc). They looked professionally made and ok in, wasn't blown away by them, just the blinding pain! So, I was that close to fainting with the pain that I would have agreed to having two coffee beans put in! I got home and after taking a cocktail of painkillers, checked out the perms. I just cannot believe that they are a darker than the temps - why do they look so much duller?? They look a tiny bit darker than the one on either side - not too white tbh and no gradience towards the gum, just all browny-ish. I am beginning to suspect that the lab made them a fraction darker. Perhaps a tad paranoid of me! They don't look as good as the temps did in terms of brightness! Wow. I am due back in next week for my quick check up but I feel like I should resign myself to my choice and pretend to love them when I go in as it is my fault that this is the way it is now.

Apologies again for the rant but it helped to vent (closed mouth smile)

peggie

hi,
sorry to hear you are disappointed.

A1, a2 are actually pretty white shades, any whiter could have make the teeth either side and below look too dark

if i may make a suggestion, forget about them for a day or so, they are in and you have a review appointment so stop examining them and relax.
a day before your appointment ask someone close to you to hold a mirror at normal speaking distance- ie not at your nose, then see how it looks

if you are not happy then speak up honestly,
hope that helps
peg

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Its up to the dentist to get the shade correct not you. Maybe some local anesthetic would have helped with the sensitivity and allowed you to view them properly. You have the right to be pleased with them within what is realistically achievable, if the dentist feels they cannot get the result you desire they can refer you to somebody that can.

If you not happy, say your not happy and that because you had no local during try-in you were distracted. The dentist can replace them for you. I dont know why you would wouldn't speak up. Did you sign a consent for cementation?

You have spent a good amount, and should expect a good result, it not like you went for the cheapest out there.

Chipnick

Thanks Peggy and Fitzgeme for your kind words and advice - I really wish there were the chance to wear the new ones for a couple of hours or some such way to really road test them.

Peggy, I appreciate that this shade can be light but on my pale skin, they don't look too white at all.

I am due back next week and I will discuss this with my dentist. Fitzgeme: I didn't sign anything. I wasn't given a treatment plan come to think of it. Nor was I shown the shade I would be given, just told they would be brighter than the temps (which they certainly are not). It is like I paid to have relatively good teeth for two weeks while I wore the temps and now I have my old teeth back!

I know I sound naieve but I really am usually quite cautious and in the know when it comes to such commitments. So annoyed at myself for not handling it better!!