My front tooth was chipped off, fixed and it hasn’t been four months and now it’s slowing turning white. Why is that?

Question

When my chipped tooth was fixed it look very natural but now some areas of the tooth is white. I went for a closer look and it looks like whatever the doctor put on my tooth is slowing fading away. I’m confused, why is this happening?

Ramin Mahallati, DDS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. This is difficult to answer without pictures. The best way to answer this would be with an in-person consultation where they can go over your concerns. Keep in mind, all material will have slightly different color under different lighting condition.  While it is possible to adjust crowns, if necessary, too much adjustment can weaken the integrity of the crown which can lead to future problems. Also, when the lab makes the crowns the color characterization is built into the crown, too much adjustment can potentially affect how the color characterization fits with the surrounding teeth.   There are several steps in creating proper crowns.  After preparing the tooth, a provisional crown (Temporary) should be made.  Tooth length, size, shape, etc. should all be tried in the provisional phase and any corrections made then.  The permanent crown is then made using the provisional crown as a blueprint in order to ensure that the final restoration (permanent crown) matches the shape, position and color of surrounding teeth to make sure you like the results. Ask your dentist to arrange a meeting with the dental technician, it is really helpful if the technician can see the result in person. Another good alternative is getting a consultation with a Prosthodontist, who is a dental specialist who has advanced training in restoring and replacing teeth and can create a customized treatment using the latest techniques in dental crowns.

Kourosh Maddahi, DDS · Answer

Hi:Normally bonding (tooth color filling) that is used to fix chips on front teeth can chip or discolor.  Please post a photo for more accurate advice.Best,Dr. Maddahi

Benjamin J. Taylor, DMD · Answer

A couple of things could be going on here. With trauma sometimes a tooth can start to change color. However most of the time the tooth turns darker. Another option could be that some of the material that was placed has started to wear down. Over time with brushing minute amounts of the composite can be worn away and thus changing the color. If its the tooth that's changing it could be developing a small cavity, in the beginning stage of a cavity the enamel become demineralized and gives it a frosty white appearance. I would recommend letting the dentist take a look to see which of these could be your issue.

My front tooth was chipped off, fixed and it hasn’t been four months and now it’s slowing turning white. Why is that?

Answers (3)

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My front tooth was chipped off, fixed and it hasn’t been four months and now it’s slowing turning white. Why is that?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Dental Crown

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