Can crowns on your front four teeth be shortened just a bit without taking the glaze off the fronts of them?

Question

I've have my front four teeth crowned recently & they are just a bit too long. I'm really worried about getting them shortened because I don't want to mes them up. They are already cemented in. I have already had them redone once. I'm happy with everything about them but the length. My dentist told me to wear a few days & if I still wanted yo take a bit off...he could. It just scares me because I don't want to mess them up cause I can't afford to have them cut off & redone again. Thank you.

Sarah Thompson, DMD · Answer

My recommendation to you is to wear your crowns for about 30 days.  I believe that your crowns may look long to you because they are longer than your natural teeth were and you are simply having a tough time getting used to them.  For this reason, I suspect that if you are able to get used to them for a few weeks, you will likely not find them too long.  In the event that you are still not pleased with them after 30 days, I would suggest that you have your cosmetic dentist shorten then very, very slightly, so that you are cautious to not "mess them up."  Good luck and I hope this helps. Follow me if you have more questions.Sarah Thompson, DMD

Gregory Bowen, DDS · Answer

Often times, patients think that the two front teeth should be the same length as the lateral incisors and eyeteeth. This is not the case. If you put a pencil on the edge of the front tooth and on the tip of the eyetooth, there should be about a 1mm gap on the lateral incisors edge, below the pencil. Reducing the front teeth can give a reverse curve to the smile which in not considered cosmetic. Take a look at models in magazines and you'll readily see this relationship between the front teeth. To answer your question, yes they can be shortened and polished back. I use a Cerec machine and these are generally polished only, rather than glazed, which studies show is a better surface that lasts longer.

Norman Huefner, DDS · Answer

Generally porcelain crowns or veneers on front teeth can be shortened slightly without a problem.  They can also be polished to a glaze like finish by your dentist.  Cosmetic dentists do this all the time.However, how much will depend on how much of the underlying tooth has been shaped, how much you want off, whether it is an all-porcelain crown or a porcelain fused to metal crown.An important question is did your dentist show your crowns to you before cementing them on? Did he get your acceptance and "permission to cement them"?  This is common practice with cosmetic dentists, and if that was not done you have grounds to ask him to redo them without charging you again.  If he did, and you accepted them, then whether or not he should redo them at full fee will depend on the dentist and your relationship with him.  However, I would recommend that he try to reshape the porcelain to see if that satisfies you before resorting to redoing the crowns.

Can crowns on your front four teeth be shortened just a bit without taking the glaze off the fronts of them?

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Can crowns on your front four teeth be shortened just a bit without taking the glaze off the fronts of them?

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