A few years ago, I started thinking carefully about what I could do to improve my smile. I had lived with crooked, yellowed teeth for most of my adult life, and honestly, I just wanted to feel beautiful. I started thinking about working with a cosmetic dentist, and before I knew it, I was in an office getting a complimentary consultation. I learned about a variety of different procedures that could improve my look, and it was really fun. I wanted to create a blog all about making smiles more beautiful, which is why I made this website. Check out this blog for great information about dentistry.
If you have several old dental crowns in your mouth, you might be surprised at their current coloration. They may be slightly less yellow in appearance than your natural teeth, which makes them stand out. However, bleaching your natural teeth has a tendency to make these yellowed crowns stand out even more. To get your crowns as white as your natural teeth after a cosmetic tooth whitening procedure, here is what you can do.
Have Your Dentist Remove and Replace the Crowns
High-grade dental porcelain over a metal cap tends to yellow very little, while many dental composite resins used for cheaper crowns yellow faster. Ask your dentist if he or she can remove the old, yellowed, resin crowns and replace them with the crowns made of high-grade porcelain fused to metal. Then all of your crowns will be as white as your newly-whitened teeth.
Recoat Your Old Crowns with a Thin Layer of Fresh Resin
Another way to whiten dental crowns is with a thin layer of dental resin. This fresh resin is whiter than anything your crowns currently exhibit, making your crowns look brand-new. Your dentist will use the resin like a sort of "fresh paint" and coat each of your yellowed crowns with a thin, painted-on layer before using a UV light to harden it. Then he or she will soften and buff this resin coat so that your crowns are shiny, smooth and very natural-looking.
Sand Away the Yellow
If the resin that makes up your current crowns is thick enough, it may be possible to sand or grind away the surface layer(s) of the crowns. When thin layers of the surface area of these crowns is removed by the sanding or grinding process, then the whiter resin material below that will show through. Most of the yellowing on your crowns is surface yellowing, caused by coffee, tea, colas, tobacco products, etc. Ergo, sanding and buffing helps remove these surface stains and your crowns are whiter than when you first started out. (There may still be some lingering yellowing, but it will be far less than what you originally had, depending on how dark the yellowing was before your dentist performed this sanding/grinding treatment.)
A Word about These Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures
Just remember that if you get your natural teeth whitened and then get your implants and crowns whitened via another procedure, most (if not all) of these cosmetic procedures will not be covered by your dental insurance. For that reason, it helps to know that the above procedures are listed from most expensive to least expensive. Ask your dentist about his pricing schedule if you want to know more. Contact a business, such as the Stone & Johnson Dental Group, for more information.
Share27 July 2016
