Everybody wants an attractive, white smile, but it isn’t always possible to achieve one naturally. Over time, teeth can discolor and stain, and they can also become damaged or decayed, requiring dental crowns.
What are Dental Crowns?
Dental crowns, or caps, are often used to restore teeth that may have suffered significant decay or trauma. They both refer to the same thing and completely cover a damaged tooth right down to the gum line.
After a dental crown has been fitted, none of the original structure is visible. Often, a dental crown is made from porcelain or another ceramic material, designed to blend with the rest of your natural teeth.
However, if your natural tooth color is already darker and more discolored than you’d prefer, then your crown will be made to match this shade. Issues can arise if you decide you want to whiten your teeth in the future.
You Cannot Whiten Crowns or Capped Teeth
Porcelain is stain-resistant, meaning it will not change color over its lifetime. However, this also means you cannot whiten it with any bleaching products you use to brighten your tooth color. If you try, you’ll get zero results.
What to Do Instead
The only real option is to replace these crowns. In this case, you could whiten your teeth first until you achieve the desired shade. Your dentist can then create your new crowns to match your brighter and whiter smile.
Choose a Professional Teeth Whitening for Best Results
There might be a huge variety of over-the-counter whitening products or treatments offered by people who are not dental professionals, but it’s always best to see your dentist. At Broadway Family Dental, your dentist can assess your teeth and gums and recommend a whitening treatment based on your individual needs.
Advantages of Choosing a Professional Tooth Whitening Treatment
Every professional tooth whitening treatment begins with a dental exam and an evaluation of why your teeth have stained. Your dentist will also examine your teeth and gums to ensure they are healthy enough for whitening.
It’s important to remember that teeth whitening is a professional dental treatment, and it isn’t suitable for everyone. If you have signs of dental disease, such as gum disease or tooth decay, these conditions must be treated before you whiten. Leaving these issues unresolved and using whitening products could make them worse and likely cause you pain and discomfort during the whitening process.
After examining your teeth and gums, your dentist can discuss the best way to safely whiten them. Most dentists offer in-office whitening treatments as well as custom kits for use at home.
If you have crowns and are considering whitening your natural teeth, Broadway Family Dental can help you determine the appropriate treatment plan and whether your existing crowns may need to be replaced afterward.
In-Office Teeth Whitening
In-office teeth whitening is the quickest and most effective way to whiten your teeth. Your dentist uses professional-strength whitening products that are painted onto your teeth after first protecting your lips and gums.
The whitening gel may be activated by light, which helps it penetrate your tooth enamel more deeply and effectively to remove stains. The whitening gel may be removed and replaced several times to achieve optimal results.
After your whitening treatment is complete, your teeth will continue to brighten slightly for several days as the tooth enamel settles. Teeth whitening removes the dental pellicle, a thin film of protein, and it takes a few days for it to reform. During this time, you will need to watch your diet and avoid brightly colored foods that could stain your tooth enamel.
You will also receive expert advice on how to maintain your tooth whitening results and when to top up your treatment. One way to maintain the results is with a custom home whitening kit.
Custom Home Whitening Kits
A custom home whitening kit typically includes custom-made whitening trays that fit over your teeth. They are comfortable to wear and fit tightly so whitening gel cannot leak out.
Your dentist can prescribe the right strength whitening gel for use at home. This is a carbamide peroxide whitening gel, a more stable form of hydrogen peroxide that is safe for home use.
You will be shown how to fill the trays, insert and remove them, and informed of how long to wear them each day. Some people choose to wear them for just a few hours. Others prefer to wear them for longer and leave them in overnight.
Custom home whitening kits are often used in combination with in-office whitening treatments, but they can also be used on their own. For example, some people have more sensitive teeth than others and may find it more comfortable to whiten a bit more slowly with a lower-strength whitening gel.
A custom home whitening kit gives them this option and can achieve excellent results over several weeks.
Replacing Crowns after Teeth Whitening
Once you have whitened your teeth and are happy with the results, your dentist can take a new dental impression of your teeth and remove your old crowns.
The dental impression, along with your prescription, is sent to the dental lab so your new crowns can be fabricated. In the meantime, you will receive temporary crowns to protect your teeth.
Once your new crowns are ready, you return to your dental office so your temporary crowns can be removed and your new crowns can be fitted. You will get a chance to approve their appearance and, before they are firmly cemented in place.
Some Crowns Can Be Made and Fitted on the Same Day
The dental impression, along with your prescription, is sent to the dental lab so your new crowns can be fabricated. In the meantime, you will receive temporary crowns to protect your teeth.
Once your new crowns are ready, you return to your dental office so your temporary crowns can be removed and your new crowns can be fitted. You will get a chance to approve their appearance and, before they are firmly cemented in place.
Some Crowns Can Be Made and Fitted on the Same Day
An increasing number of dental offices now offer CAD/CAM technology that can produce beautiful, ready-to-fit custom crowns on the same day. These are created using a digital dental impression of your mouth and are milled from a solid block of pre-shaded porcelain.
Once milled, these crowns are hand-finished and ready to fit, eliminating the need for a second appointment and temporary crowns.
Replacing Crowns Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing
Initially, replacing crowns may seem like a lot of hassle and expense, but remember, they have a limited lifespan.
It could be that your crowns are nearing the end of their natural life and would benefit from replacement. As they age, crowns can begin to leak around the margins, allowing harmful bacteria to penetrate the tooth underneath and potentially cause decay and infection.
Older crowns are likely made from ceramic materials that may have been good in their day, but are now replaced by superior products. Modern ceramic materials are far more sophisticated and lifelike, resulting in much better aesthetic outcomes.
Additionally, modern crowns are typically made using advanced methods, such as digital dental impressions and CAD/CAM technology. Using these technologies produces crowns that are far more precise, fitting accurately over your tooth and providing excellent protection.
Replacing older crowns can help improve the appearance of your smile while protecting and benefiting your oral health.
Contact Broadway Family Dental to schedule a consultation and discuss your options.
Broadway Family Dental
372 Stockton St,
Brooklyn, NY 11206
(Bushwick, Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant)
(718) 455-4400