Veneer or Crown for Calcified Tooth?

If discoloration is the issue, I would use a porcelain veneer to correct the aesthetic concern.  This would be much more conservative that a full crown.  In addition, should the tooth ever "flare" up and need a root canal the could do it from the inside of the tooth without affecting your porcelain veneer. 

If the goal is simply to fix the appearance, then the most conservative approach would be my choice. A veneer would cover only what shows and preserve the rest of the tooth.
What you describe may be what is called calcific metamorphosis. While the root canal system may not appear on an xray, it may still be present. It may never be a problem, but it could. If it does, having a veneer allows treatment without destruction of the veneer.

I see this frequently. In my hands a direct resin veneer (bonding) is the best way to handle this situation. I have total control over the shade, shape and form. Darkness can be dealt with. It's immediate and it does not involve an off-site lab. It's simple and straightforward to match the adjacent teeth exactly. The shade transitions, nuances and translucencies can all be designed in. It only involves one tooth and it's the least invasive. Properly done direct resin veneers are a superior restoration.

Great question!!!  Find a dentist who will do a consultation about your front tooth and look into walking bleach. 

Walking bleach can be very successful and the easiest and quickess way to whiten your front tooth if it has calcified.  I am assuming your tooth is not broken.  You can then whiten the rest of your teeth if you want everything whiter.  The next best option is a veneer but those are very hard to match when it is just one tooth. 

Do your research-Much success-Dr. Wendy

There are a number of options that MIGHT match your color perfectly. You can have procedures like Whitening, or even a veneer placed to correct the color.

I find that most patients want to have the result match really well and have it look good for a long time. After 22 years as a Denver cosmetic dentist, I tend to go to the most predictable results.

It's possible that a veneer can match well-it really depends upon the type of discoloration and the color of the neighboring teeth.

Even though it might sounds more invasive, I have found sometimes it takes making a porcelain crown to get the best color result.  I have tried many different conservative solutions and candidly, they are often an improvement, but not often a great match. With some of the whitening options, you will get some fading and re-darkening and will need to re-whiten again in the future.

The key is the communication between the cosmetic dentist and the ceramist who will make the porcelain (veneer or crown). Their collaboration will ensure you get a wonderful result.

Thank you,

Scott Greenhalgh, DDS