I see these gorgeous pictures of porcelain veneers, then look in the mirror at my horrible ugly crowns and get discouraged. Is there a way I could replace my crowns with veneers? They’re cloudy looking to me. Now they’ve developed some kind of weird line at the gumline. I don’t want to be ashamed every time I smile.
Sandy M. – Little Rock, AR
Sandy,
I have bad news and good news. I always start with the bad news so we end on a hopeful note. It is impossible to replace crowns with porcelain veneers. When you had your crowns placed, your dentist had to grind down a good deal of your tooth structure to make room for the crowns. Porcelain veneers need to be bonded to intact teeth. With that tooth structure gone, there’s nothing for the veneers to bond to.
However, that doesn’t mean you are stuck with an unattractive smile. A good cosmetic dentist can give you a stunning smile using all-porcelain crowns. Based on what you described, you have metal-based crowns. They’re the ones that develop a gray line at the gumline. It also explains the cloudy look you mentioned. The crown is made more opaque to cover the metal.
All-porcelain crowns solve all of those problems. They can be as translucent as natural teeth. Combine that with the artistry of a great cosmetic dentist and you have a recipe for a smile you’ll be proud to show.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Duane Delaune.