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Dr. Hall, I have just had two all porcelain crowns made for my two front teeth, #s 8 & 9. The crowns were a wonderful color match to adjacent teeth and I unreservedly authorized them to be cemented in. After the cementing procedure, I looked in the mirror and IMMEDIATELY noticed a slight grayish hue to the teeth. I inquired about this, and the dentist stated that the cementing product he used was transparent in color. I have looked at the teeth in different light conditions over the past several days and STILL see this. Is there something in the cement or its curing that could have caused this? Sara, That is one possibility that could account for a difference in perceived color between the crowns when they were tried in and when they were cemented. If the crowns are dry, they don’t transmit the underlying color of the tooth as well as they would with a bonding medium between the tooth and the crown. Darkness, stain, or metal posts in the teeth underneath could cause a gray tinge to the crowns. What I did in my practice when my bonding cement was going to be transparent was use a clear glycerin to accurately mimic what the resulting color would look like when it was bonded. If that’s not the case, then the only other explanation I can think of for a discrepancy in the color like this would be color metamerism, which is the property certain materials have to appear one color under one light and another color under another. Some porcelains may match the teeth under a cool fluorescent light but then won’t match in, say, daylight or under incandescent light. But a clear bonding cement made by a reputable manufacturer will not change colors upon curing and won’t impact the color of the final result beyond helping transmit the underlying color. If the grayness is only very slight, maybe it isn’t really noticeable, and since both very front teeth are the same, it shouldn’t be distracting. However, if the grayness is significant and noticeable to others, I think your dentist should fix this. At his expense. It could be a great learning experience for him. Dr. Hall Do you have a comment to add? I’d love to hear from you! Please enter your comment below. Click here to ask Dr. Hall a question of your own. |
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.