What to do if the Color of your Dental Crown doesn’t Match.

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Dental crown color mismatch – What can be done?

Getting the shade of a dental crown to match perfectly, especially when making one for an individual front tooth, can be extremely challenging for your dentist. And even in cases where everything was exactly right initially, a noticeable color mismatch with neighboring natural teeth may develop over time.

The consequences.

Whatever the cause of the discrepancy, a crown that doesn’t have the proper shade will tend to stand out in your smile. And the more it does, the bigger the effect it will have not just on your appearance but quite possibly your self-confidence too.

What can be done to get the appearance of your smile back?

As good news, a solution for crown color mismatch always exists. However, as a worst case, it may need to involve replacing the crown entirely.

Fortunately, in many cases, a simpler and less costly solution may be possible. As we explain below, it simply depends on your circumstances.

The shade of the crowns placed on the upper right cental and lateral incisors doesn’t match this patient’s natural teeth well.

Why might a dental crown’s color not match?

It will take a consultation with your dentist to determine exactly why the color of your crown is off. But in most cases, it boils down to one or more of the following issues.

Common reasons for crown color mismatch.

1) Natural tooth discoloration.

It’s normal for a person’s teeth to pick up staining over time due to their repeated exposure to chromogenic agents like cola, tea, coffee, wine, tobacco products, etc…

But since the glazed porcelain surface of a dental crown is immune to picking up this kind of staining, as your natural teeth darken your crown will gradually begin to stand out and look too bright.

2) Inaccurate shade selection.

As hard as your dentist tries, the task of shade selection can be extremely challenging and sometimes it’s tough to get things exactly right.

Using a sample from a shade guide to evaluate the color of a person’s teeth.

For example, a porcelain shade that matches your teeth exactly may not exist (although mixing porcelains is frequently an option). As further challenges, the perception of the person taking the shade can be influenced by the room’s lighting, color fatigue caused by strong colors elsewhere in the room, their gender, viewing angle, etc…

3) Material differences / Crown construction constraints.

Dental crowns are made using porcelain or other dental ceramics, not tooth enamel. And since the physical characteristics of each of these materials are different, color matching that’s perfect in all conditions and circumstances may be more of a pipe dream than reality.

There are also considerations and constraints associated with how the crown will be or can be fabricated. A very basic one is simply how thick the crown’s porcelain can be. Can it be thick enough to truely mimic the light-handling properties of dental enamel?

4) Deterioration of restorations on neighboring teeth.

Dental composite restorations (white fillings) placed on your natural teeth will have a tendency to stain and/or deteriorate over time, thus creating a color discrepancy with your dental crown.

5) Deterioration of your crown’s surface.

When initially fabricated, a crown’s porcelain surface is shiny and ultra-smooth. However, over time its glass-like finish may deteriorate due to repeated exposure to things like acidic foods and beverages or brushing with abrasive toothpaste.

Debris accumulation.

As a crown’s ceramic surface deteriorates, its roughened surface will become more susceptible to picking up stains.

Color loss.

The shade and appearance of some crowns are perfected by fusing tinted glazes to their surface (a process referred to as “staining and glazing“). As the porcelain surface of a crown degrades, these tints will tend to be lost too and therefore affect the color match of the crown.

What Can Be Done to Fix a Mismatched Dental Crown?

Solution #1 – Polishing your teeth.

If the color discrepancy you notice has been caused by surface staining that has accumulated on your crown more so than your natural teeth, then a good old-fashioned dental cleaning may be able to restore the harmonious appearance of your smile, at least temporarily.

This approach is based on the fact that …

While glass-like and ultra-smooth when first made, a crown’s glazed surface can degrade over time due to repeated exposure to:

• Acidic foods and beverages – Soda, fruits, fruit juices, vinegar-based food items, etc…
• High pH (basic) consumables – Antacids, lima beans, soy, spinach, etc…
• Harsh events – Like brushing with an abrasive toothpaste.

At a microscopic level, as the crown’s surface deteriorates its roughness level increases. And as it does, it becomes more susceptable to stain and debris accumulation.

Advantages –

If the above scenario has caused your crown’s color mismatch, this is a quick and easy solution, not to mention something you’ll need periodically anyway.

Disadvantages –

Since the underlying cause of the staining (surface roughness) has not corrected, unless you improve your oral home care habits (the use of an electric toothbrush may help), the staining will likely return.

Solution #2 – Whitening your natural teeth.

If your dental crown matched well when it was first placed but now seems out of place because your neighboring natural teeth have picked up stains, then performing whitening treatments to restore your natural teeth to their original color may provide a simple solution. Of course, it will take an evaluation by your dentist to determine if this option has a chance of working.

This approach is based on the fact that …

• Dental porcelain/ceramic is unaffected by the whitening agents used to bleach teeth. (Your teeth will lighten, not your crown.)
• Even though teeth bleaching is an unpredictable process, for cases involving routine light-to-moderate teeth staining, it stands a good chance of working out.

As far as which whitening method to use, consult with your dentist. They may feel that at-home whitening treatments can produce the level of results you need. (Either using an OTC product you buy on your own like whitening strips or a tray-based whitening kit they dispense to you.) If not, they’ll recommend in-office treatments.

A dentist dispensed, tray-based teeth whitening kit.

Advantages –

• Compared to having to replace your crown, bleaching your teeth is usually a very cost-effective alternative. (FYI: Performing at-home treatments usually costs less than having in-office ones.)
• Whitening your teeth may be something you’ve wanted to do anyway.

Disadvantages –

• Bleaching results can be hard to predict, although a successful outcome can usually be expected. (After an evaluation, your dentist can share their opinion.)
• Teeth whitening results will fade over time. But performing touch-up treatments from time to time is usually simple and inexpensive.

Solution #3 – Crown replacement.

Having a mismatched dental crown remade (the steps) is always an option. But, unfortunately, it also happens to be the most time-consuming and costly solution. Expect that the time and expense involved will be a repeat of what you experienced before.

a) Porcelain surface deterioration.

As the porcelain (ceramic) surface of a crown deteriorates, any tinted glazes that have been fused onto it (to perfect its color match) may be lost too. And if that’s the case with your crown, replacing it will likely be the only solution your dentist has to offer.

Before your new crown is made, you and your dentist should discuss other types of crown construction and specifically those that rely less on applying surface tints to achieve a perfect color match. If switching to another kind of crown seems appropriate for your situation, making this change may help you avoid the same kind of failure a second time.

b) Getting the shade right the second time.

As we mentioned above, choosing the proper shade for a dental crown can be a difficult task for your dentist and one that’s hard to get precisely right. So, if you have a new crown made, what guarantees do you have about how well your new one will match?

Well, since this is such a subjective issue (what looks right to you vs. what looks acceptable to your dentist), you’re unlikely to get any firm guarantee. However, if you work together, there are plenty of things that you and your dentist can do to help ensure that the outcome of your new crown is as perfect as possible. We discuss them below on this page.

A mismatched dental crown.

When a decision is made to replace your crown, here are some of the pros and cons of doing so.

Advantages –

Remaking your crown gives a fresh start to your situation.

• A shade of porcelain that blends in better with your smile can be chosen.
• Any color change that has taken place with your adjacent natural teeth simply needs to be matched.
• Technical details associated with your tooth’s preparation and/or crown’s construction that hampered its color match before can be improved upon.

Disadvantages –

• This is the most costly solution in terms of time and effort expended and money spent.
• Crown replacement for purely cosmetic reasons likely won’t be covered by your dental insurance.
• Choosing the proper shade of porcelain for your new crown can still be a significant challenge.

Solution #4 – Staining and glazing your crown.

When making a crown for a patient, a dentist chooses the shade of porcelain that their dental laboratory will then use to fabricate the restoration. But beyond that basic color, a crown’s porcelain can be further customized by fusing colored glazes onto its surface. (A process termed “staining and glazing.”)

So, if your dental crown doesn’t match precisely, there’s a chance that your dentist can tweak its appearance using this method.

a) For existing crowns – The difficulty.

Ceramic glazes are fused to a crown’s surface in a high-heat furnace at temperatures exceeding 1100°F. Obviously, that means the crown must be removed from its tooth for this process and then recemented. And there lies the biggest difficulty associated with this solution, removing the crown.

Crowns that have been permanently cemented can be exceedingly difficult to remove. The fragile nature of porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) and all-ceramic crowns only adds to this difficulty. The bottom line, it’s not so common that a dentist will even attempt this approach.

Other limitations.

Even if the crown can be removed undamaged, the fact that it has been worn in the oral environment can be a complicating factor when performing staining and glazing. Contamination of the crown’s surface (by plaque, bacteria, food particles, saliva compounds, etc…), surface degradation, and stain bonding issues can all be factors that make this approach a difficult one to perform successfully and predictably.

b) For brand new-crowns – This is a common solution.

A reason we’ve mentioned staining and glazing as a possible way of improving a crown’s color match is because this method is commonly used with brand new crowns before they are permanently cemented.

Consider this scenario.

Take the case where you are at your dentist’s office ready to have your new dental crown cemented. However, when your dentist places the crown on your tooth and gives you a mirror so you can evaluate your smile, you notice that your new restoration’s color isn’t exactly right.

The good news is that your dentist can then perfect your restoration’s color match (without having to have the crown remade) by staining and glazing it. (Possibly your dentist will have the needed equipment and perform this step as you wait. Or, your dentist may need to take notes and return the crown to their dental laboratory so they can make the changes.)

Another scenario – TEMPORARY CEMENTATION.

Now, consider the situation where when you evaluate your new crown, you think its appearance isn’t quite right but you’re not totally sure.

In this situation, it is possible for your dentist to “temporarily” cement your crown so you can give it a trial for a few days. That way you can get a better idea of how it looks in a range of settings. You can also get the opinion of people who are close to you.

If all seems right, your dentist can then go ahead and permanently cement your restoration. If it’s not, they can have it stained and glazed in an attempt to get a better color match. Or, if necessary, they can even take a new shade and have the crown remade, likely without any further chair time on your part.

!! It’s important to understand that you probably don’t have any of these options if you let your dentist permanently cement a crown that doesn’t match well.

Solution #5 – Place restorations on your mismatched adjacent teeth.

You may determine that the appearance of your crown’s adjacent teeth is objectionable enough that you’d like to improve them by placing dental veneers or crowns. In effect, have your dentist create a “smile makeover” for you. (The adjacent teeth might be misaligned, worn, broken, or have dental restorations that have deteriorated and become unsightly.)

An extensive smile makeover that corrects a number of tooth-shade issues.

Advantages –

Placing restorations on the adjacent teeth may accomplish improvements that you have wanted to make with your smile anyway.

Disadvantages –

• Placing crowns and veneers (porcelain or dental composite) can be a costly proposition both in terms of expense and time spent. Restorations placed for purely cosmetic purposes typically won’t be covered by dental insurance.
• For relatively virgin teeth, the amount of tooth structure reduction that’s needed for these kinds of restoration can be a concern.

Mismatched crown FAQs.

1) Can a dental crown be whitened?

No, the materials used to fabricate crowns (porcelain, dental ceramic, etc…) are chemically inert and won’t respond to teeth-whitening agents. And because of this, the inherent color of your crown’s porcelain can’t be changed.

What about advertised products that say they can whiten ceramic crowns?

A possible explanation.

It could be that the crown-whitening claims of some products are based on the fact that they are able to lighten debris (dental plaque and tartar) that has accumulated on the surface of crowns. Regarding that:

• Any peroxide-based teeth whitening product (strips, trays, etc… including OTC products) could be expected to produce the same effect.
• What’s really needed is not lightening the debris but instead removing it via a dental cleaning.

2) Can a porcelain crown change color?

No, generally, the glazed ceramic surface of a dental crown is impervious to chromogenic agents (like coffee, tea, colas, tobacco products, wine, etc…) that are known to stain natural teeth.

Possible exceptions.

If it seems that the shade of your crown has changed, it probably relates to the deterioration of its glazed surface.

• As a crown’s ceramic surface degrades, tinted glazes that were fused to it to perfect its color match may be lost. (Replacing the crown is usually the only solution.)
• Ceramic deterioration tends to correlate with increased surface roughness. And this subtle change may facilitate the accumulation of debris and stains. (Having a dental cleaning can be expected to restore your crown’s appearance.)

3) If my crown’s color doesn’t match, will dental insurance cover a replacement?

Almost all dental insurance/dental plan policies exclude benefits for crowns placed for purely cosmetic reasons (i.e. their color doesn’t match well). In regard to this issue, here are some important points to consider.

• Since dental insurance typically doesn’t pay for cosmetic procedures, never let a dentist permanently cement a crown that doesn’t match well because rectifying the issue at a later date will almost certainly be at your expense.
• If your dentist identifies some other defect or concern with your existing crown, and replacing it for those reasons just happens to correct your tooth’s color mismatch too, it would be expected that insurance coverage would apply. (The crown was not placed solely for cosmetic reasons.)
• Even in cases where benefits might apply, many dental plans have limitations about how often a new dental crown can be placed (every 5 years would be common). A mitigating issue might be who paid for the previous crown (the patient on their own, a different insurance company, or the current insurance provider).

Related page: When are dental crowns covered by dental insurance? Jump

4) Additional things to know.

How long can I live with a mismatched crown?

In the vast majority of cases, a color discrepancy between your natural teeth and a crown is just an aesthetic concern and not a health issue. Either the crown never matched well initially, or else your other teeth have darkened naturally over time (a very common phenomenon). With these kinds of cases, whether or not you persue correcting the shade discrepancy is simply up to you.

(Color mismatches due to individual natural teeth darkening may be a sign of pathology and should be evaluated by your dentist.)

How long do dental crowns last before they need replacing?

Dental crowns typically last in the range of 5 to 15 years. Some give service for even longer. (We have an entire page that discusses crown longevity. Jump )

Of course, a crown’s age has nothing to do with why its color doesn’t match neighboring teeth. Dental ceramics/porcelain are impervious to the chromogenic agents that stain teeth and therefore will not change shade, even over long periods of time.

How to prevent a mismatched crown in the future.

Tip #1 – Have the ideal kind of restoration placed.

When it comes to shade matching and achieving the most natural look possible, some types of dental crowns offer advantages over others.

Ask your dentist why they have recommended the type of crown they have (they no doubt have good reasons and your best interests in mind). But if they don’t cover the following points, you might inquire about them.

• Handcrafted (“layered”, “stacked”) crowns allow for a level of color customization (by way of the technician mixing shades of porcelains) that’s impossible to achieve with CAD/CAM restorations that are milled out of a monochromatic block of ceramic.
• Color matching and achieving the most life-like appearance is often easier with handcrafted all-ceramic crowns vs. porcelain-fused-to-metal ones. Although, with the right circumstances it is possible to achieve excellent results with either type.

Tip #2 – Never let a dentist permanently cement a crown that you have concerns about.

Before your new crown is permanently cemented, your dentist can still make adjustments to its shade (see “stain and glaze” section above). Or, if needed, the crown can be remade using a different shade of ceramic, likely without any further “chair time” (procedure time) needed on your part.

However, after a crown has been permanently cemented your dentist has essentially no ability to make a color change without removing the crown from your tooth. And that can be a difficult and risky task (the crown or tooth might be damaged or even broken).

!! ASK ABOUT TEMPORARY CEMENTATION.

Temporary cementation (cementing the crown using a weaker/less adhesive cement) creates an opportunity for you to wear and evaluate the shade and appearance of your new crown for a few days. You can view it under different lighting conditions. And people who are important to you can give you their opinion.

If things aren’t right with its look, the crown can be easily removed and its shade adjusted (stained and glazed or whatever is needed). Once the match of the crown has been perfected, it can be permanently cemented.

Tip #3 – Look for an experienced “cosmetic” dentist.

Just as you’d expect, some dentists just get better cosmetic results when making crowns than others. Of course, as a dental patient, how would you know which ones do?

Well, word-of-mouth referrals can be helpful. Beyond that, look for some of these things too.

1) Who really is a “cosmetic” dentist?

Lots of dentists associate the term “cosmetic dentist” with their practice. But just so you know, this is not a true dental specialty (like being an orthodontist or oral surgeon is). Any dentist can use the term without having any special training or unique certification.

We will suggest that a dentist who chooses to use this term might have an especially keen interest in this field. But if you see this designation used, judge it for what it’s possibly worth.

2) Having the equipment needed to stain and glaze.

Staining and glazing a dental crown so its shade matches perfectly requires a high-heat furnace that can reach temperatures exceeding 1100°F. Having one of these kilns is an added expense for a dentist. They must also be proficient in using it. For these reasons, many dentists return crowns that need staining to their dental laboratory for this step. (You’d have to ask what they do.)

Now, consider a dental office that has a furnace. Having one implies that they do enough crown work that its expense is justified. It also means that your crown can be characterized while you wait, rather than having to be rescheduled to come back on a different day.

3) Dentist and dental technician proximity.

Most dentists either have their dental crowns made by a dental laboratory across town, or else they ship their patient’s case (models, impressions, instructions, etc…) to a lab in a distant city. And excellent dental crowns can be fabricated using either method.

But in comparison, what if the dental laboratory was next door or even right in the dentist’s office? If it was, the dentist, lab technician, and you could all directly confer about things like the best color and what special shade characterizations need to be made with your crown. Everyone would be on the same page because they had communicated first-hand.

We’ll also point out that having an in-house dental lab probably means that the dental office does a lot of crown and bridge work and therefore has a lot of experience in performing it.

Tip #4 – Maintain good oral hygiene.

It’s possible that uneven surface stain accumulation on your teeth and crowns might result in the development of a color mismatch between them. Performing diligent oral home care (brushing, flossing, possibly even using an electric toothbrush) along with having regular dental cleanings can help to prevent this from occurring.

Tip #5 – Get regular checkups.

No dental restoration will last forever and this is especially true for dental composite (white) fillings. As white fillings deteriorate, areas of darkness may develop or the entire restoration may stain.

Having regular dental checkups will identify these kinds of developing problems so they can be rectified before a significant color mismatch between your teeth and crown becomes apparent.

Tip #6 – Perform teeth whitening treatments.

It’s normal and natural for a person’s teeth to darken over time. And there’s no reason to wait until a big color disparity has developed between your natural teeth and dental crown before you decide it’s time to perform whitening treatments.

You have lots of options to choose from (at-home vs in-office whitening, OTC vs dentist-dispensed whitening kits). But in all cases, it’s always best to get your dentist’s input before beginning treatments.

That’s it for our coverage of this topic. Scroll on down a few lines to see our ‘What’s Next?’ menu. It lists other pages on our website that discuss dental crown issues. Thanks for visiting.