Hope Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry

Archives for June 2020

Implant Crown Can’t Match Other Teeth

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I’m trying to figure out why my dental flipper, that I wore while my dental implant was healing, was better able to match my other teeth than my implant crown is. I’m on crown number three and none of them have matched the adjacent teeth. This last visit my dentist told me I should be grateful for what I have and stop trying to get everything perfect. Some teeth are complicated and don’t match. She said my teeth are between the two shades she can choose from and I’ll never be satisfied. She also warned that if I kept having her mess with the crown, I could end up losing the dental implant. I was thinking of going to a different dentist to have the crown down, but don’t want to risk losing the implant due to further manipulation. What should I do? The flipper matched better. Can’t she just use the same material as that?

Pam

Dear Pam,

It really burns me up when medical professionals blame patients for their own lack of knowledge. Obviously, the teeth can be matched or the dental flipper wouldn’t have done it. Plus, you are NOT asking too much to have your teeth match. Everyone wants their teeth to be uniform in color.

In truth, even the best cosmetic dentists will take a couple of try-ins before they can match a front tooth perfectly. Knowing that, they will use a temporary try-in paste so that it is easy to remove. Only once the porcelain crown matches your adjacent teeth will it be permanently bonded. Based on what you’ve said above, your dentist is permanently bonding it each time and then having to grind it off. This is another clue to me that she is not experienced with cosmetic work. Even with that, it will be okay for you to go to another dentist and get this matched without harm to your dental implant. That is a scare tactic on her part to get you to leave her alone.

color map for a tooth

As for how to match a tooth, what your dentist is doing by just using the basic shade for a crown, works fine on back teeth, but our front teeth need some help from the dentist to match it perfectly. Going by your dentist’s feedback, let’s say A1 was too grey/white and A2 was too yellow. That’s okay. What she’d do is take notes on what she’s seeing on the tooth then add different tints, drawing a “map” of sorts (as you see above) to show the ceramist where to add these shades to obtain the right visual effect needed to match your adjacent teeth.

Even without all that work, your dentist could have at least told the ceramist to go halfway between A1 and A2. Yet, she doesn’t seem to want to bother with even the basics. Bottom line, you’re with the wrong dentist. The best dentists work to give their patients the best result. Her comment about “Stop wanting everything perfect.” is very telling. She’s happy with sloppy effort and doesn’t seem to take any real pride in her work.

If you have an AACD accredited dentist in your area, that would be the ideal. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. If you don’t, there may still be a highly skilled cosmetic dentist near you who just hasn’t finished the accreditation process. In that case, try mynewsmile.com. They have a “find a cosmetic dentist” link. They only list skilled cosmetic dentists, so you should be able to find someone in a reasonable distance to you.

Don’t give up. You can have a smile that matches.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

Am I Condemened to Ugly Teeth because I’m Not Wealthy?

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I am losing my teeth. It can’t be helped and has little to do with my oral health care. My dentist wants me to get dental implants. When he told me the cost per tooth, I almost choked. There is no way I can afford that. I can afford dentures. When I mentioned that to him, he said my smile would not be pretty. What am I to do? Sell a house I don’t even own? Is there any way to get a pretty smile without dental implants.

Karyn

Dear Karyn,

implant overdentures

First, I want to assure you that whether or not you have an attractive smile is more up to the dentist than whether or not you have dentures or dental implants. It’s the skill and artistry of the dentist which makes the biggest difference here. If he’s implying that dental implants are more beautiful than dentures, that is an unfair pressure tactic and speaks more to his investment in doing beautiful work no matter what the procedure than anything else.

The one thing he could be referring to, which is honest, is a rather serious issue that comes with dentures known as facial collapse. When your teeth are removed, your body immediately begins resorbing the minerals in your body to use elsewhere. It does this because it recognizes you no longer have any teeth roots. Without roots, you don’t need that bone to keep your teeth in. So it decides to use the minerals in that bone elsewhere. In as little as ten years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to keep your dentures in place. Not only that, the shrinking of your jawbone, gives you an aged appearance. This is known in dental circles as facial collapse. It may be what your dentist is referring to by an attractive smile.

Getting dental implants prevents facial collapse because the implants serve as prosthetic teeth roots. This signals to your brain that you still have teeth there and therefore need that jawbone.

Implant Overdentures

implant overdentures

You mentioned the cost per tooth. You may be under the impression that you have to get a dental implant for every single tooth. You don’t. That would be too expensive for just about anyone. Instead, what you would get is four to six dental implants and your dentist will anchor a set of dentures to them.

Doing it this way cuts the cost significantly all while having the same benefits of dental implants. As I mentioned to you in the beginning, the dentures themselves can be beautiful if the dentist knows what they’re doing. You have a two-fold mission now.

First, find a dentist with significant training in dental implant procedures. It’s an advanced procedure, so make certain they received post-doctoral training in them. Second, once you have a list of implant dentists, ask to see their smile gallery so you can get an idea of what type of skill and artistry they have. If you are having trouble finding someone who both can do dental implants and does beautiful restorative work, you can check with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Do a search on their website for an AACD accredited dentist. These are in the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country. I’m certain you’ll be able to find one who can do your work and give you a smile you are proud to share.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

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