Whitening Touch-up for a Dental Crown
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I am getting a dental crown on a front tooth. I want to get my teeth as white as they were a few years ago when I first had them whitened. I asked my dentist how to go about that and he didn’t have any answers for me. If I understand correctly, I can’t whiten the crown later so I need to get my teeth the right color now, right? Do you have some ideas for me?
Beverly
Dear Beverly,
I am a bit concerned that your dentist could not help you with this. Teeth whitening is one of the most basic cosmetic procedures. Placing a porcelain crown is harder. Getting a crown on a front tooth to match the adjacent tooth is every advanced. He may not be the best person to do this for you.
However, let’s answer your original question first. You are correct that the crown will not whiten once it is made. So, your plan to get your teeth the color you want the crown is the right plan.
The way to get your teeth as white as they were when you first had them whitened is to have a whitening touch up. If you kept the bleaching trays, then the only thing you will need to purchase is the whitening gel, which is not much money. If you didn’t keep them, then you’ll need to have another pair made.
There’s not a set amount of time I can tell you that you’ll need to whiten. What I can tell you is that the more you wear the gel, the faster your teeth can whiten. If you can tolerate it, wear the bleaching trays overnight. This will give you the most whitening. If you can’t do that, don’t stress. Just wear it when you can.
Once you reach the level of whitening that you want, wait at least a week before having the crown made. Two weeks would be safer. This is because the gel will continue to whiten for a bit even after you start using it and you want to get the best match possible with your crown.
If you still want your dentist to do the crown, make sure he is willing to place it with a temporary try-in paste and if it doesn’t match to your satisfaction he’ll make any necessary changes. It is common on a front tooth to need two or three try-ins even with an expert cosmetic dentist.
This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.