Crown or veneers on dead tooth? (Photo)

Question

My dentist is recommending veneers, but will crown it if I choose. The tooth was hit in an accident more than 25 yrs ago. It has turned colors slowly over 10 years. No root canal, but it does have a large filling. Which has less pain? Which lasts longer?? Which will be better in the long run? What should I do with the other front tooth?

Rupal N. Shah, DDS · Answer

Hello,
If a tooth starts to change its color after a trauma, the underlying pathology is that the nerve damage is rendering the blood cells degrading and hence the dark color. 
It is in the best interest to have Root canal treatment on the tooth prior to placing a crown or veneer. 
Usually root canal treated tooth will loose the strength over a period of time and hence is it best to have them crowned for the long run. You can have your teeth whitened prior to placing a crown to get an accurate shade match to the remaining natural teeth. 
Hope this answers helps you.
Thanks, Dr.Shah

Vicki Borowski, DDS · Answer

Thanks for posting the picture. Either option is acceptable. It's difficult to see how large the filling is in your picture but if it is fairly large a crown may be more stable long term. The biggest problem is removing enough tooth structure to block out the dark color. If your dentist has an excellent lab they can match the other tooth exactly and you don't need to do anything to it, otherwise it may be easier to do a veneer on the adjacent tooth so that they can be made at the same time and match. Be very particular about accepting the restorations before they are bonded. You will be living with them for a long time. It would be unfortunate if the darkness showed through the crown or veneer and you were unhappy later.

Crown or veneers on dead tooth? (Photo)

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