Crowns and Teeth Whitening? (photo)

Question

I have a crown on one of my central incisors that I got when I was 14, but I'm 28 now and would like a whiter smile. The crown is still in good shape, except for a dark line at the gum line, but it still matches the colour of my teeth. What are my options? Will I be forced to replace a perfectly good crown for a whiter smile?

Anthony Mobasser, DDS, DMD · Answer

If you want to whiten your teeth know that the porcelain crown color or a veneer will NOT get whiter. If the color change of your natural teeth got much whiter with bleaching procedure, wait for couple of months then decide if you need to change the crown or a veneer. With bleaching teeth the color is not permanent, and it can revert back, unless you use more permanent solution like veneers, in which the color is stable.

Valle Wilhite Rischer, DDS · Answer

Hi, thanks for your question!  Crown shades won't change when using bleaching/whitening products, so if you choose to whiten, know that the crown shade will stay the same, and the difference in shade between it and your other natural teeth will depend upon how your teeth whiten.  Should you choose to replace the crown at some point, a full-porcelain crown (not with a metal base), will ensure an extremely aesthetic result, and can be made to exactly match your "new" shade--good luck!

Svetlana Novak, DMD · Answer

Unfortuately if you were to whiten your teeth, the porcelain will not change color along with your natural teeth. However, try the whitening and see what results you get. You may find that there may not be a drastic difference in color. If the dark like is a major concern too, the only was to remove it would be to replace it.

Allen Mortimer, DDS · Answer

Unfortunately there is no way to correct the shade of an existing crown.  When you do whiten the your teeth, it is likely that the natural teeth will whiten, but the crown will stay the same color, making it appear more yellow.  It's great that the crown has lasted 14 years, but there really great options now with all porcelain crowns and when you replace it with an all porcelain crown you will not see that dark line at the gum line any more (the dark line is caused by the metal underneath the crown because it is probably a porcelain fused to metal crown).  Good luck!

Bernice Szafarek, DMD · Answer

Unfortunately whitening will whiten everything but the crown and may make that dark line more obvious. think about saving towards a new all ceramic crown once you whiten your smile!

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Crowns and Teeth Whitening? (photo)

Answers (9)

Answer: New Crown

Answer: New Crown

Answer: Whitening and crown replacement

Answer: Whitening and crown replacement

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Everything you need to know about Dental Crown

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