I have a dental crown on the tooth next to my very front one. My dentist said he is using the whitest shade, but that tooth is still darker than the rest of them. Do you know why he can’t match my tooth?

Lizzie

Dear Lizzie,

This sounds like a two-pronged issue. The first part sounds like you may have whitened your teeth at some point with another dentist. The second prong is your dentist not keeping up with the changes in his field.

Pictured above is the newer shade guide. Do you see those whiter shades on the left end? Those did not used to be there. They were added after teeth whitening became more popular in the 90s. It sounds to me like your dentist is still using the older shade guide that does not have those on there. He may be using the whitest shade on his old guide, but it is not white enough for your smile, which is more modern and brighter than your dentist is used to.

You have two choices here. You can ask him to get the updated shade guide so he can match your teeth better or you can go to another dentist to have your dental crown done properly.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.