Dental crowns for teeth that are too dark for veneers?

My dentist wants me to have 10 dental crowns on my top teeth, the teeth that show when I smile. He says my teeth are naturally too dark to use porcelain veneers. I recently bleached my teeth for a month with reasonable lightening occuring. One of my two front teeth is dead and would definitely need a crown. Do you agree that crowns are the way to go in this situation?

2 answers to “Dental crowns for teeth that are too...”

A: Go with veneers

M. Andrew Atwood, DDS

I would say you need to get a second opinion. A crown is used to restore lost tooth structure or reinforce a damaged tooth to keep it from damaging further. If the tooth is healthy and doesn't need reinforcing, I always go with a veneer to fix stain. The thinner the veneer the healthier the tooth will be... more

A: Veneers should be fine

Lance Timmerman, DMD

It is very common to do veneers on dark teeth. There are many techniques for masking out dark teeth, including opaque veneer material, blocking out tooth structure before veneers are placed, etc. It is likely that your dentist is not familiar with some of the methods or materials availible. Dark teeth are one... more

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