Can This Smile Makeover Be Improved?

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Years ago, I had several dental crowns done for a smile makeover. I did not like the color of them, which I felt were too yellow. However, the dentist insisted that color was necessary in order to make them look natural. I wish I had insisted. Now I am getting them replaced. I told my new dentist that I want them whiter. He showed me a B1 color and I can tell they are not going to be as white as I want. When I mentioned that, my dentist if we made them any whiter, the posts in my crowns would show through. Is there any way to get the white smile I want?

Steven

Dear Steven,

When you are paying for a smile makeover, you want one that you can be proud of and are thrilled to share with the world. Neither of the dentists that you have been to for your porcelain crowns seem to have any expertise in cosmetic dentistry. I do not think you are going to get the results you are hoping for if you stick with the practitioner you currently have.

Your dentist has color confused with translucency. This is a basic principle. If your post does not show through with a shade of B1, then it also will not show with a super white shade like BL1.

You need a dentist with real cosmetic training and artistry. To make a beautiful, natural looking smile, it won’t be as simple as slapping a BL1 shade on all of your crowns and being done with it. That will make the teeth look flat and fake.

Our teeth are not one uniform shade from top to bottom. There are a variety of opacities as you go from top to bottom, and even from side to side. In order to make the smile look natural, your dentist would also need to add a shade map. This will instruct the ceramist at the lab on where to put various shades and tints.

Doing this the right way creates the illusion of those variations and helps bring out the look of translucency on your dental crowns. If your dentist did not understand the difference between color and opacity, then he or she will not know how to do this.

In your place, I would look for an expert cosmetic dentist, such as an AACD accredited dentist. They have proven training and skill, as well as artistry. They are the best cosmetic dentists in the country. You will finally get that beautiful, white smile you’ve wanted.

This blog is brought to you by Naples, FL Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Long.