Can the Color of a Crown Be Improved?

One of the great things about dental crowns is their color stability.  Yet, one of the bad things about dental crowns is their color stability.  There is no changing them.

 

The only way to change the color of a crown is to make an entirely new one.

 

One thing to know about crowns is metamerism.  This is the way light interacts with the porcelain, and light reacting to natural tooth enamel is different than porcelain.  Often we need to find out where you are most often, indoors or outdoors, and match the shade there.  Some brands of porcelain are better than others, too, so ask the ceramist.

 

You should understand that when doing a single crown, a perfect match is nearly impossible.  We try for VERY close, but perfect can drive you nuts trying for it.

The colour of a crown depends on many factors, but the most important are the material the crown is made of, and the underlying colour of the tooth.  The most esthetic crowns are made of all porcelain with no metal structure.  The only way these crowns look their best however is if the underlying tooth is also an acceptable starting colour - if the tooth beneath is dark, it can be masked before the crown is made and that should allow an excellent match.  Even a single tooth crown can be made to blend at least to an acceptable level. It may not be perfect but should be very close.

Color can be VERY difficult. That is why we charge more for single front crowns. Crowns that don't match must be redone if they are glued in. That is why we are very careful with color before they are cemented. Once in awhile things happen. Just have them redo it and try again. It will never be perfect but you can get it close. Good Luck,