All Porcelain Crowns 2 Front Teeth, Now They Have a Dark "Hinge"?

Question

Fractured front tooth roller skating, rootcanal, had it bonded, then braces. After braces the bond starting to crack, asked for it to be fixed. The then dentist suggested both teeth in front be crowned due to aesthetics had I known then what I have researched now, maybe tried the bonded tooth only. So now I have all porcelain crowns, have always felt they were way too big, and now about 7 years later the crowns look to have dark hinge to them where the shaved teeth are? Help, dark in Denver.

Scott Greenhalgh, DDS · Answer

All porcelain crowns can produce an amazing life-like result. Although, It sounds like you have never really liked your crowns.

	When crowns that are seven years old begin to show this darkness, it is highly likely that these are losing their cement (or watertight) seal. The darkness may be coming from some contamination under the crowns. If so, since you have had root canals, you'll never feel a problem, until one of the crowns slides off, or even the tooth holding the crown breaks. You need to have these checked right away.

	Before you have anything new done, make sure to visit with an experienced cosmetic dentist. Take some time now to write yourself a short list about what you wish was better about your front crowns. Don't let anyone start making new crowns for you until they have addressed your list. 

	You will also want to look at before and after photos of other cases like yours. You'll want to have high confidence BEFORE you start that you can get the shape and size of front teeth the way you'd like them.

Marielaina Perrone, DDS · Answer

I too wonder whether these are all porcelain crowns and agree in hindsight probably should not have treated both teeth unless there was something wrong with other that you also wanted fixed. Modern dental porcelain has come a long way the last 7 years so I would recommend a re evaluation for replacement of those crowns.

Raymond A. Sheridan, DDS · Answer

As unfortunated as your situation is, it is not uncommon.  There can be several reasons why crowns may appear to have a dark look to them.  If they are truly all porcelain crowns the darkness could be from leakage of fluids up under the old crowns, or due to the underlying tooth turning dark due to some issue with the nerves within the teeth.  It is also possible that although the crowns look like all porcelain crowns they may actually have a metal base underneath the procelain that could be making the crowns appear dark.

	 

	I think you will need new crowns placed to repair this problem.  Also you mentioned that you feel the crowns are too large. There is a way your dentist can dtermine the proper size of your front teeth using data about the ratio's of the space available for the teeth and by measuring some adjacent teeth and cross referencing these measurement agains the data. Also a dental laboratory can "wax up" some very beautiful provisional crowns to help your dentist find a size that you will feel looks life-like. These can be put on your teeth when the old crowns are removed and you can "try on" the look of these provisional crowns.  If you like them your dentist can tell the laboratory to make your new ones look just like the provisional ones. The neat thing is you can wear these provisional crowns for a week or two to be sure you really like them.

	 

	Lastly,,,,, about the darkness of the teeth.  If it is indeed the tooth root that is becoming dark and causing the dark tinge to you teeth then there is a separate process that may help.  This can be accomplished by placing a white filling material in the front part of the root that will mask the dark shade of the root.  A bit complicated to explain but your dentist will know about it.

	 

	Good Luck!

Mauricio C. Tijerino, DMD · Answer

You are right that in retrospect, you should have had the tooth re-bonded or at most veneered and if the other front tooth was not involved in the accident, it should not have been touched.

	At this point, the only way to hide the dark hinge, is to re-do the crowns slighly below the gumline to hide the junction and to use the appropiate porcelain crown material.

	I wonder if the crowns you got are actually all-porcelain or if they are porcelain-fused to metal. All porcelain crowns should not have a dark line whereas porcelain-fused to metal can have the line. It's possible that the tooth underneath is dark and this is what you see.  The line could also be due to leakage between the porcelain and the tooth. This should not happen with properly bonded crowns.

	Regardless, you may want to consider either Zirconia-porcelain crowns or E-max (lithium disilicate) crowns. Both are non-metal and highly esthetic. Which one depends on the color of the tooth underneath and on the translucency of your other teeth.

	You should research experienced dentist for this. They should do a wax-up to see how the teeth will look prior to cutting off the old crowns.

	good luck

	Dr. T

All Porcelain Crowns 2 Front Teeth, Now They Have a Dark "Hinge"?

Answers (4)

Answer: Would need to re-do the crowns to hide dark hinge

Answer: Would need to re-do the crowns to hide dark hinge

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All Porcelain Crowns 2 Front Teeth, Now They Have a Dark "Hinge"?

Answers (4)

Answer: Would need to re-do the crowns to hide dark hinge

Answer: Would need to re-do the crowns to hide dark hinge

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Dental Crown

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.