I’m not sure what to do. I had a dental problem while my dentist was out of town. I went to an emergency dentist. The dentist and office were extremely kind, they worked me in without issue and were gentle the whole time. The only problem I have is the dental crown they gave me is horribly ugly. It doesn’t come near to matching my other teeth. It wouldn’t be a huge deal except it shows when I smile. Is there anything to be done?

Miranda M. – Georgia

Miranda,

It sounds like the emergency dentist is a decent family dentist, but not necessarily very good at the cosmetic side of things. It’s obvious he cares about patients, based on the way you described your office visit. Plus, he obviously makes time for non-established patients which also shows he cares.

Unfortunately, there is no way to change a crown once it has been bonded in. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with mismatched teeth. It can be replaced. The first thing I’d do is return to the dentist who initially did the work. Explain your concern. They’ll want you to be satisfied and may agree to replace it free of charge.

If they’re not interested in replacing it, then unless there is a functional problem with the crown, you may be out of luck in getting it changed for free.

Another option is to have your regular dentist look at the work. He may put pressure on the emergency dentist to make it right. Dentists do care about what their peers think. However, even if you don’t get any assistance from your dentist, you could go to another dentist and have the crown re-done.

Make sure whomever you go to the second time around has a good track record with cosmetics. You can look at the smile galleries they have on their website to get an idea of how beautiful (or ugly) their results are. Some dentists even have a beautiful smile guarantee.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Don Swearingen.