I need some advice. I’ve been crying for over an hour and I need to stop and figure out my next step. I had dental bonding for two chipped teeth on my top arch. They’ve gotten old and I thought I could just replace them. Unfortunately, the dentist who did the case originally has retired. I went to his replacement but he said the dental bonding can’t be redone and I will need to have crowns placed on those teeth. He also said the only way to get the teeth uniform would be to crown the front four teeth. Now I have four dental crowns on healthy teeth but the two front teeth look a gray color compared to the rest of them. Now my smile looks worse than if I’d left the old bonding on. What do you recommend?
Beverly
Dear Beverly,
When a true cosmetic dentist does the work, you’re not ashamed to smile.
This is an absolute disaster, through zero fault of your own. First, your dentist either doesn’t understand dental bonding or outright lied to you. Neither one speaks to his credit as a cosmetic dentist. Your dental bonding could have been re-done. Now, instead of just mild work on your teeth, your healthy teeth have been ground down to nubs. Not only did he do that to the teeth which needed the bonding replaced, but to their adjacent teeth as well simply because he wasn’t skilled enough to color match.
Unfortunately, the only way to fix this is to have the two front teeth which are too gray replaced. My hope is the dentist cares enough about his work to redo the crowns which don’t match the rest of your teeth. And, he should do it free of charge. However, if he does agree to re-do it, make sure he uses a temporary try-in paste so you can see the crowns compared to the adjacent teeth before he bonds them in permanently.
It’s possible because he isn’t a serious cosmetic dentist he doesn’t stock a try-in paste. If that is the case, clear glycerin or clear water-soluble gel should be fine. It must be clear or you won’t get a true reading on the color.
If he won’t cooperate, your only other option is to get them replaced by another dentist. If it comes to that, please make certain it’s an AACD accredited dentist. These dentists have done extensive post-doctoral cosmetic training and have the artistry to create a beautiful smile for you, whether it is porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns.
This blog is brought to you by La Jolla Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Stephen Doan.