I was going to get four dental crowns on my front teeth to improve my smile. My dentist is suggesting we crown all the teeth on the top and bottom because my teeth aren’t very white and this would make them all uniform. I’m okay doing that if it is my best option. It’s pretty pricey, though, so I thought I’d check around with some other dentists before moving forward.
Kayleigh
Dear Kayleigh,
I hope there is some information I’m not understanding because if what you’re explaining to me is at face value then your dentist is suggesting a massive overtreatment. What you are describing, crowning all the teeth, is known as a full-mouth reconstruction. It is generally reserved for the most severe cases of TMJ Disorder or for those who have ground their teeth down to nubs. This doesn’t sound like your situation at all.
If you’re just needing a smile makeover, then you would do teeth whitening on all the teeth and then porcelain veneers on the teeth you originally wanted extra help with. In your case, that would be your four front teeth. Even if you had porcelain crowns placed on the front teeth, which we’ll get back to in a moment, you would just whiten the remainder of the teeth.
As for him recommending dental crowns instead of porcelain veneers, was there a particular reason for that? Do those teeth already have crowns on them? If not, veneers would be the right thing to place there. Here’s why. With porcelain veneers, there not much tooth preparation at all (about the depth of your fingernail). This is because it only covers the very front of the tooth.
However, dental crowns are different. If you look at the image directly below, you will see that the tooth preparation for a dental crown is very aggressive in order to make room for the crown which surrounds the tooth in its entirety.
The fact that your dentist is suggesting this instead of veneers tells me he doesn’t know how to do smile makeovers properly. Rather than tell you that, he’s suggesting dental crowns, which he is familiar with. However, familiarity and artistry are two completely different things. You will not like the results. It’s very likely the teeth will end up looking fake.
Even worse, doing a full-mouth reconstruction requires extensive post-doctoral training in occlusal studies. Without this, which I sincerely doubt your dentist has, you risk TMJ Disorder and a lifetime of pain. I’m going to highly recommend you see a different dentist for your smile makeover. Go to mynewsmile.com. They recommend highly skilled cosmetic dentists in each area.
This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Warren Krutchick.