Will my teeth darken to match my crown after getting Zoom?

I am scheduled for a crown and my dentist recommended getting tooth whitening done before the crown. He said now was the best time to whiten my teeth if I ever wanted to in the future. The crown was on one of my front teeth. So I ended up getting Zoom and then had the crown done after a month or so. The dentist kept telling me it would look excellent once it was all said and done. But unfortunately, I’m disappointed. The crown is darker than all my other teeth. I didn’t get to see it until it was permanently cemented, so now it’s too late. I thought I’d get used to it, but it’s driving me crazy because it stands out to me every time I smile. When I complained that I wasn’t satisfied to the office, the front desk lady told me the rest of my teeth would darken over time and that all lighting makes it look different. Am I fighting a losing battle? Am I stuck with a dark tooth smile?

-Kathy in Florida

Kathy,

Sadly, it doesn’t sound like your dentist is very skilled in cosmetic dentistry. Most patients assume that if a dentist tells them it will look great, than it will end up just like they envisioned. The thing is with cosmetic dentistry is that it really is more like an art. Not just any dentist can do a natural-looking, beautiful crown, especially a front tooth crown. Zoom whitening doesn’t necessarily take an eye for aesthetics. But placing a single porcelain crown on a front tooth is a highly visible treatment. Moving forward, it may be time to begin working with an expert cosmetic dentist. One that has had much success and has the before and after portfolio to prove it.

In hindsight, it sounds like he didn’t use the whitest shade possible for the crown. He may have used a “natural” shade. This isn’t your fault, as an experienced cosmetic dentist should be able to match the crown up perfectly. Also, most cosmetic dentists will be sure you are completely satisfied before they cement the crown into place. They will even send the crown back to the laboratory if you don’t absolutely love the way it looks.

So, since you cannot change the color of the permanent crown, you are out of luck. Telling you that your teeth will fade over time is unacceptable. But there isn’t much you can do at this point besides asking to have it redone. He should be willing to do that for you, most dentists want you to be satisfied. Or it may be time to move on to a more experienced cosmetic dentist to have it done correctly. Thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully it helps someone else in your situation. Best of luck!

This post is sponsored by Lexington cosmetic dentist Hamburg Expressions.