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Was I Taken In By A “Cosmetic” Dentist?

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I have four crowns on my front teeth that I had done years ago. They were looking pretty dingy so I went to my dentist, who is also a cosmetic dentist, and asked him what to do. He said that KöR Teeth Whitening was stronger than most and would do a good job. Well, they did a good job, but not on my dental crowns. The teeth next to them look great, but the crowns look worse than ever. Now he’s suggesting we replace them. Did he make them worse on purpose so that I’d have to get new crowns?

Brandon

Dear Brandon,

An image of a woman covering her mouth.

I am sorry this happened to you. I could not tell you if your dentist did this on purpose, it’s possible he is just incompetent when it comes to cosmetic dentistry. Either way, this is not going to be the best dentist for you to have the crowns replaced with.

Teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure. It will have no impact on your dental crowns. Because of that, the teeth get whiter and the crowns stay the same, which has the net effect of making them look even worse. You will definitely need to replace these crowns if you want them to look good. So, if this dentist isn’t the one to do it, who is?

You mentioned your dentist is a cosmetic dentist. Did you know that there is not a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry? That means any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. Here is the big problem with that. Cosmetic dentistry is barely touched on in dental school. In order for a dentist to develop both the skill and artistry necessary to create beautiful results, they need to invest in post-doctoral training.

Teeth whitening is one of the most basic procedures in the cosmetic world and  your dentist does not have a  grasp of even that. I would not let him near your dental crowns. Instead, look for someone who has invested in that post-doctoral training. Look at their bios to get an idea. For example, here is Dr. Murphree’s bio. This will give you an example of the type of dentist you want to do your porcelain crowns for you.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.