Crowns Don’t Match My Teeth

I have a disaster going on that I don’t know how to handle. My two front teeth had zirconia crowns put on them by my dentist. They didn’t match very well and he realized that so he sent me to a prosthodontist, which he said was an expert in tooth restorations. I was excited about that, but it ended up being worse than my original dentist. I used some dental sedation because the last appointment was a bit painful. They bonded on the permanent crowns without me getting to see them and they are darker than my natural teeth. It’s awful looking. I had a white smile before this.  He says I approved them, but I can’t imagine I would do that. Plus, can I really approve something while sedated? Now, to get my teeth to match by having these crowns re-done, I have to pay thousands of more dollars because he is refusing to replace them. Is there anything I can do about this?

Cameron

Dear Cameron,

I groaned as soon as I heard your dentist sent you to a prosthodontist. Yes, they have done extra training in tooth restoration; however, that training does not include the cosmetic skills necessary to create beautiful work. That training has to be invested in separately. Unfortunately, most prosthodontists feel like their restorative training is enough. Very few of them would I consider artistic.

In order to get this fixed, you are going to need to get another dentist on your side to put pressure on the prosthodontist. Telling you that you approved them while under sedation doesn’t work for me. You can’t approve something in that state. While there are patients who need sedation when getting dental crowns. There is a way to work around that and help them really get a chance to approve the crowns. While you were under sedation, they could have placed temporary crowns and allowed you to get a good look at them when you are more lucid. Once you approve those, the permanent crowns can be made exactly like them and then bonded on. He didn’t bother with this step because he considers himself the expert.

You want a refund instead of him redoing the dental crowns. This is because he obviously doesn’t care about what you think or about the aesthetic quality of his work.

The first thing I would do is speak to your original dentist who referred you to this prosthodontist to begin with. Let him look at the crowns and see the result. If the color is off as much as you indicated, your dentist could put pressure on him to give you a refund. Much of the prosthodontist’s business depends on referrals. He won’t want to make one of his referring dentists angry. Sometimes dentists care more about their peers’ opinions than their patients.

Another thing you can do if this doesn’t work is to let him know you’ll be posting a negative review, which will also impact his business. From there, the next step would be talking to the dental board. Other than that, there isn’t much you can do if the crowns are functional.

Hopefully, you will be able to secure that refund. When you do, make sure you go to an expert cosmetic dentist to have them re-done. I am going to suggest you look on the mynewsmile.com website and use one of their recommended cosmetic dentists. They have already been prescreened for their artistry and technical skills. They are among some of the best cosmetic dentists in the country.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.