porcelain crowns Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

A Broken Porcealin Veneer

Posted on May 18, 2024 by writeradmin.

I had about ten porcelain veneers done several years ago. This week, one of them broke off. I was able to save the pieces. My dentist had me come in and used a temporary try in paste to put it on. It doesn’t feel great and looks funny because it is in two pieces. They want me to come in to have a crown placed on that tooth in about two weeks. I told them I didn’t want to wait that long, but they said it was not a dental emergency and it isn’t a problem to wait. I have a couple of concerns. First, do I have to get a dental crown? Could I not just replace the porcelain veneer? Second, do I have to wait that long to get it fixed?

Maya

Dear Maya,

I have good news for you on both counts. First, do not get a dental crown. There is no reason to grind down healthy tooth structure. It is much better to replace the porcelain veneer. It is best if all the dental bonding material is removed first. While that is not completely necessary, it is useful. As long as the surface is properly treated, that is all that matters. However, I would not push your dentist into doing it. When a dentist suggests a porcelain crown over a porcelain veneer unnecessarily, it usually means that they are not comfortable creating the porcelain veneers because they do not have the adequate training and artistic skill. You do not have to go to the same dentist to have this redone.

Secondly, you do not have to wait the amount of time that your dentist is suggesting. He’s putting you off. While it may not be your typical dental emergency, it is an esthetic emergency and dentists who do a lot of cosmetic dentistry understand that and make time in their schedule for such things. As I’m suggesting you see someone else anyway, do a search for some skilled cosmetic dentists in your area and see if they are willing to get you in sooner. Just make certain to look at their smile gallery in order to be certain they do beautiful work. If they don’t have a smile gallery on their website, they are not a skilled cosmetic dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Cosmetic Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Will My Gum Drop Down On My Dental Implant?

Posted on May 9, 2024 by writeradmin.

I had a dental implant on a front tooth. The gumline is now higher above the dental implant than the remainder of my teeth. My dentist put a temporary crown on it and said he thinks the the gumline will drop. It hasn’t and the uneven gumline makes this tooth look obviously fake. I’m worried this is not going to drop down. My dental flipper looked more natural than this. What should I do?

Kate

Dear Kate,

It was a good idea on the part of your dental implant dentist to use a temporary crown to make sure that your gum does drop down. I don’t think that it will, but it was worth trying. If the tooth is looking fake, it is probably because of more than just the gumline. I would make sure that your temporary crown looks exactly the way you want it to before you let him bond on anything permanent. The permanent crown is made based on the design of the temporary crown. You are paying for a crown to match the remainder of your smile, there is nothing wrong with making sure you get that.

As for the gumline, there are a couple of options. I would look at whether or not the gum is visible when you smile. If it is not, you might not want to bother with it at all. If it does, then I would insist your dentist ensure the gumline across your front teeth is symmetrical when you smile.

After dental implants are placed, if the gumline isn’t even with where it is supposed to be, then it will require some surgery to get it there. I would insist your dentist arranges that if it is necessary.

If he can’t get the porcelain crown to look normal in a way that matches the remainder of your teeth, then tell him you will be paying for the implant but want to go somewhere else to get the dental crown done. Matching a front tooth is not an easy thing, so you will want an expert cosmetic dentist. Look at their smile gallery to get an idea of the type of work they do.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Cosmetic Dentist Dr. William Becker.

360-Veneers are NOT Porcelain Veneers

Posted on January 19, 2024 by writeradmin.

I am needing some advice. I went to my dentist hoping to get a smile makeover. I’d asked for porcelain veneers. He suggested I get something called 360-veneers which will be a better fit for me. I specifically asked if that would require my teeth to be ground down more and they assured me it would not and that only a very small amount will be removed. The problems started with the temporaries. Two of the 360-veneers keep falling off. They assured me that when the permanent ones were bonded, this would not be an issue. I started to have my doubts about their honesty when I saw my tooth after the 360 veneer fell off. It was a small nub! This is certainly not a “very small amount” by any reasonable amount of measurement. My fears turned out to be justified because after the permanent ones came in, those same teeth still had the crowns falling off.

I am doing everything they told me to. I am not eating anything hard. I am cutting everything up really small, and I am making sure to chew in the back. Can you help me? I am so stressed. I never know when they’re going to fall off and I don’t know what to do. They’re saying that I’m not taking care of them.

Erin

Dear Erin,

I am very sorry that this is happening to you. I’m going to be very blunt and say your dentist is lying to you. My alarm bells first went off when you said “360-veneers.” There is no such thing, because porcelain veneers only cover the front of your teeth and hug the sides a smidge. What wraps around a tooth is a dental crown.

There are some “ethically challenged” dentists who will unnecessarily push a patient toward dental crowns for their smile makeover because they don’t really know how to properly place porcelain veneers. You see, smile makeovers aren’t focused on in dental school. In some schools, they’re not even taught. Dentists who are truly interested in doing beautiful cosmetic work have to get post-doctoral training.

The thing that gets me even more about your dentist is he can’t even do the crowns correctly. This is one of the first things dentists are trained to do in dental school and most dentists go their entire careers without having even one dental crown fall off. Your dentist can’t seem to manage that. My guess is that he over tapered the teeth on the crowns that are coming off repeatedly.

Second, he lied to you about the amount of tooth structure that needed to be removed. I posted an image above that shows the difference between the tooth preparation of porcelain veneers versus porcelain crowns. You clearly described porcelain crown preparation. That is a second violation of ethics.

Finally, they are blaming you for something that is clearly their issue. When either porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns are bonded on properly, you can eat whatever you want! You don’t have to only eat soft foods. You don’t have to cut everything into tiny bites. You don’t have to shove everything to the back to chew.

I’m going to suggest that you ask for a full refund from this dentist. It is going to take a dentist of considerable expertise to repair whatever he did to make these crowns fall off the way they are.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Why are My Teeth Whiter than My Dental Crown

Posted on May 3, 2021 by writeradmin.

I moved to a new town and the very first thing that happened to me was a car wreck. I’ve severely broken a front tooth as a result and needed to get a dental crown. I looked up dentists in the area with good reviews and went. I whiten my teeth about once every two years. As a result I have very white, clean looking teeth. The dentist I went to said he’d give me the whitest shade because of how white my teeth are. Once it was in, I could tell that is was not as white as the rest of my teeth. In fact, next to the other front tooth, it looks pretty lame. My dentist insists he gave me the whitest shade, but I’m having a hard time believing him at this point. What should I do?

Carol

Dear Carol,

The only way to get your crown to match y our front tooth at this point is to get a new one. You will need to do it with a different dentist though. He’s in a little over his head. My guess is that he doesn’t do much (if any) cosmetic work. When you whiten your teeth, it does not just remove stains. It can actually whiten the natural pigment of your teeth so that they are whiter than they were before they picked up stains.

Before teeth whitening was a thing dentists all used a shade guide to match their dental crowns to their patient’s front teeth. I have an example of the old shade guide pictured directly above. Then, in the 1990s, teeth whitening picked up in popularity. People’s teeth started getting whiter than the shades the dentists knew how to match. Now, any dentist who does even the simplest of cosmetic procedures will have the updated shade guide (pictured below).

As you can see, the updated guide has whiter selections for dentists to use with their patients. You have the added complication of your dental crown being on a front tooth. These are the most challenging to match. Even the best cosmetic dentists usually have to do a few try-ins before they get the exact replication. This is because tints have to be added to match the variations that are more visible on a front tooth because of the light. I don’t think the dentist you went to for this has any idea how to do that. I know he had good reviews and he may be an amazing bread and butter family dentist, but he is not right for what you need.

Ask him for a refund. You may not get it because if the crown is functional, that is all the dental board requires. However, most dentists care about how their patients feel about the work and he may be willing to give you at least a partial refund. Once you have that, look for someone who does cosmetic work. Then, make sure they are willing to use a temporary try in paste so you can see the crown in your mouth next to your other teeth first. AND, if you don’t like it they should be willing to send it back to the lab to get it right.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

How Long Do I Need to Wait After a Crown Before Getting a Root Canal?

Posted on August 17, 2020 by ectree.

Hi,

In late April, an endodontist did a root canal treatment on one of my bottom right molars. I had delayed the appointment, but the pain and inflammation were so bad that I couldn’t wait for COVID-19 restrictions to relax. The first appointment was okay, but the endodontist scheduled a second appointment because she thought there might be a fourth canal in the tooth that she didn’t clean. She found the fourth canal and spent what felt like an hour digging in it. It was so uncomfortable. She also found a crack in the fourth canal. After the procedure, I had pain and swelling for four days, but most of it is better.

I’m concerned because sometimes I feel dull pain at the bottom of the tooth near my jaw, along with a dull ache that radiates to my ear. It feels like a dull headache. I take ibuprofen every 6 hours. Is the dull pain normal? I’ve returned to a soft diet because I’m afraid that there is still infection, and I’ll need an extraction and a dental implant.

My next appointment is in two weeks to get a crown on the tooth. Should I postpone it, or is the pain normal? I had a Zoom meeting with my dentist, and he had me come to the office for an x-ray, but he didn’t see anything abnormal. My dentist said that it might be a good idea to delay the appointment another week or so for the crown, but he still seemed somewhat hesitant to disagree with the endodontist’s recommendation. Is it okay to get the crown, or should I wait?

Thank you,

Dahlia from Augusta, GA

Dahlia,

Your dentist’s advice to wait for the crown was good. But it may take more than a month to determine if the tooth is healthy enough to survive.

Reasons to Wait Before Getting a Dental Crown

A cracked canal might not heal – Root canal treatment isn’t always successful. A crack in the canal increases the risk of losing the tooth. In that case, your endodontist would recommend a dental implant instead of placing a crown on a tooth that can’t be saved.
It takes time for an infection to become evident – Some dental schools teach dentist to wait six months after root canal treatment before crowning a tooth. But a dentist doesn’t always wait that long because each patient’s case is different. Waiting to place the crown allows time for problems to surface. For example, a tooth infection is seen on an x-ray after it’s settled in. Before that, a dentist might recognize any subtle signs of infection on the x-ray.
An endodontist can re-evaluate your case – You can schedule an appointment with your endodontist or ask your dentist to send her the x-ray. Describe your symptoms, tell her about your concerns, and ask her to review your x-ray.

After your endodontist takes a second look at the tooth roots, they’ll give you a recommendation. You’ll have to decide if you want to wait for the crown or receive it as scheduled.

This post is sponsored by Hoffman Estates dental implant provider, Dr. William Becker, of Poplar Crossing Dental.

My Porcelain Crowns Turned Yellow

Posted on July 30, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’ve had my porcelain veneers for just over six months. I really loved them and am super disappointed. I don’t know what happened. Honestly, I don’t drink or smoke. I don’t even drink coffee, so I don’t know why they are yellow now. What do I do? Will whitening help?

Caryn

Dear Caryn,

I don’t think you did anything. Porcelain is more stain-resistant than even your natural teeth. I can’t be certain of what went wrong with yours without seeing them and think you need a second opinion with someone who can see the crowns. In the meantime, I can give you some possibilities.

You said it has been six months. I’m curious as to whether or not you’ve recently had a cleaning and checkup. If so, it’s possible that your hygienist used something that damaged the glaze on your porcelain crowns. Two common errors with that can happen if he or she used a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride during your appointment. Either of these would remove the protective glazing. Your crowns would look fine immediately after the appointment, but would quickly begin to pick up stains after.

Another possibility is the crowns could have been damaged when they were placed on. The lab could have not gotten the glazing properly on the crowns.

I hate even suggesting this third possibility but it has been known to happen. Some unethical dentists will tell their patients they are providing porcelain crowns but actually place composite crowns. These are not nearly as stain resistant. If that is what you have, you will have great leverage. In that case, don’t ask for a refund. Instead, tell him you want him to pay to have the crowns properly done. This will cost more than what you would get with a simple refund.

Teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure, so it won’t do anything for your porcelain crowns.

Getting a Second Opinion

You will need a second opinion. However, it is important it is what is called a blind second opinion. This means you don’t tell him who did your dental work. That is important because often dentists are not just peers but friends. If he knows the dentist who did your case, he made feel weird saying something negative about a friend’s work. Because of that, he may not be as forthright as he should be about the work. You need an honest opinion.

This blog is brought to you by the Cleveland Dentists of Angel Dental Care.

Porcelain Crowns Turning Yellow

Posted on January 10, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had beautiful porcelain crowns done on my front teeth. I was really proud of them and was careful to take excellent care of them. I do not smoke. I drink one cup of coffee a day and then water the remainder of the day. I brush three times a day and floss twice a day. I have only had them for six months and they are starting to stain and look yellowish. Do you know what is going on?

Liz

Dear Liz,

Something is definitely wrong with your porcelain crowns. Generally, unless they’ve been damaged somehow, restorations are more stain-resistant than your natural teeth. I can think of a few possibilities going on here, but the only way to know with certainty is to have a good cosmetic dentist look at them.

Possibility One: Your Crowns were Damaged During Your Cleaning

You mentioned you have had your porcelain crowns for six months. Is there a possibility you have recently gone in for a cleaning? Sometimes a hygienist will not understand the tragic results of using a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride during your cleaning. Either one of these will cause damage to the glazing. It’s the glaze on porcelain which makes them stain-resistant.

The best cosmetic dentists will instruct their staff on how to properly treat the dental work.

Possibility Two: The Lab Didn’t Finish the Glaze

There is always a possibility that the lab didn’t finish the crowns with their glazing. They would look good at first and slowly pick up stains. Because you are so diligent with your oral care you are just now starting to notice the issue.

Possibility Three: Your Dentist Didn’t Really Use Porcelain

We have seen some unethical dentists who told their patients they were placing porcelain but actually placed composite. This will, again, look good at first but is not nearly as stain-resistant.

Getting This Fixed

Your first step is to get a second opinion from a highly recommended cosmetic dentist in your area. Don’t tell them who did the work. Just tell them the crowns have been picking up stains and you would like their opinion as to why.

If it turns ut your dentist damaged them or mislead you, you don’t want just a refund. You want them to pay to have them done correctly by another dentist. If the problem was actually the lab, it should be the lab that fixes the issue.

If the crowns have to be redone, this gives you an excellent opportunity to brighten your smile with teeth whitening. It’s a way to get a bonus out of a disaster.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Teeth Whitening Destroyed My Teeth

Posted on November 23, 2018 by writeradmin.

I think my teeth are destroyed because of teeth whitening. I was interested in getting my teeth whitened and got a quote from my dentist. It was reasonable, but still a good chunk of money for me personally. I told him I’d probably do it but want a few days to think about it. Of course, he agreed. The next day, I was in the mall and there was this teeth whitening “store”. They had a girl out there handing out a coupon to draw in customers. They were already cheaper than my dentist and with the coupon, it would have been half the price. I asked some questions and they explained each of their employees in patient care were certified teeth whitening specialists and had to pass a course to work there. That put me at ease and I felt like they knew what they were doing. I was seriously wrong. My gums feel like they’re on fire. I’m absolutely miserable. Last night, I couldn’t even sleep from the pain. Plus, my teeth don’t match and are blotchy. Neither my dental crown nor any of my fillings seemed to have whitened. It looks weird. I’m worried my teeth are ruined. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Tamsin

Dear Tamsin,

There are a few things going on here. First, you should know there is no such thing as a certified teeth whitening specialist. It’s possible it’s a “crash course” they’ve made up to train their employees. If it is, they’re not doing a great job.

In fact, they’ve made quite a few mistakes. Let’s start with your gums. The only reason they could be in so much agony as if they neglected to protect your gums during the teeth whitening procedure. The pain is essentially a severe sunburn on your gums. I’m sure you’ve tried some over-the-counter pain reliever. That and some salt water rinses are pretty much all you can do, but the pain should start to lessen soon.

The blotchy and mismatched work is something completely different. They should have told you that teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure, not dental work. That’s why they stayed the same color while your teeth became brighter.

Replace Your Dental Work After Teeth Whitening

In order to get them to match your brighter color, you’ll need to replace the dental work. You’ll want to replace the fillings and the crown. Hopefully, your dentist gave you an all-porcelain crown originally. If not, this is the time to get one. They look much more natural than their metal-based cousins.

I’m sorry you are suffering. I’m also sorry they didn’t give you all the information. Your dentist will be able to sort this out for you. Before long, you’ll have a gorgeous smile you are proud to show off.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker

When Does a Child Leave the Pediatric Dentist?

Posted on September 21, 2018 by writeradmin.

My daughter is 16. Currently, she still loves her pediatric dentist but I’m worried. I think it’s time for her to move on. Is there an easy way to transition her? Is there a year she’s required to move on?

Sarah

Dear Sarah,

It’s fantastic that your pediatric dentist has such a great relationship with her daughter. That will set her up for her lifetime of good oral health. Each clinic will have its own rules for when they request children move on.

The first thing I’d do is talk to your dentist about the situation. They’ll give you an idea of when they think it’s in her best interest to move on. That will help you know how fast she has to move on.

Transitioning from a Pediatric Dentist to an Adult Dentist

One thing I’d recommend when it is time for her to move on is that you use a general dentist who also treats children. They’ll have the type of kind, gentle chairside manner she was used to from a clinic which deals with children on a regular basis.

They will be able to not only give her a gentle start with an adult dentist, but they’re actually more qualified to deal with her growing needs and more concerned with the aesthetics of their work than a pediatric dentist would be.

For instance, when a pediatric dentist does a crown, they’re almost always a silver crown. Your daughter would want an all-porcelain crown which will match the rest of her teeth. Plus, the dentist will be more likely to have the skills necessary to make it blend in with her other teeth’s colors.

Your current dentist may even be able to recommend someone who’d be perfect for her next journey in life. Also, be aware if she’s used to using sedation with her dental procedures, you’ll want to make sure the new dentist offers sedation options as well.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.