Due to a fast-paced lifestyle, people are not able to maintain proper oral hygiene, which leads to all kinds of dental issues. One such major problem is tooth discoloration. A discolored or stained tooth reflects poorly on a person’s personality and also puts you down in terms of self-confidence. Dental aesthetics is an essential part of the overall look in today’s lifestyle. Tooth discoloration makes you uncomfortable and conscious while smiling or talking. Depending on the race, geographic region, and gender, this tooth color may vary.
The tooth has a thin enamel, and its standard color is white and semitransparent. Usage of tobacco, having too much stain-causing food and drinks, can extrinsically discolor the tooth, whereas the intake of fluoride-containing water, medications, and antibiotics can lead to intrinsic discoloration of teeth. Even age can thin out the enamel to reveal the discolored dentin of the tooth. The most difficult ones are the front tooth discolorations. However, modern dental tools are here to rescue you from tooth discoloration. While you cannot recolor the stained tooth, you sure can conceal it. One such effective and long-lasting method of covering the discolored tooth is the anterior crown. Let us see what and how anterior crowns are giving a cosmetic makeover to the discolored tooth.
Maintains the aesthetics of the smile
A crown is a cap shaped like a tooth and placed over the discolored tooth to improve its appearance. The dentist cements the crown into place, fully encasing the visible portion of the tooth lying at or above the gum line. An anterior crown is a crown used to cover the front tooth in your mouth. Compared to posterior crowns, anterior crowns play an even important role in maintaining the aesthetics and cosmetics of your smile. They also cover cavities, teeth cracks, and enhance the smile.
When the shade or shape of the front teeth is not standard, then anterior crowns are suitable for cosmetic touch. It means that the anterior crowns are also made to match the exact shade of each tooth so that the teeth blend seamlessly with the surrounding teeth. There are broadly two categories of anterior crowns: All-porcelain anterior crown and porcelain fuse to metal (PFM) crown.
Porcelain Crown for light discoloration
The most common type of anterior crowns is the Porcelain crown. A crown made of complete porcelain looks natural as it is translucent and reflects light just like natural teeth. Also, as you age, when the gum line pulls away from the tooth, you can barely notice the edge of the all-porcelain crown. Sometimes there will be a tiny difference between the shades of the all-porcelain crown and the discolored tooth. In such cases, dentists recommend capping a group of teeth. The only drawback of a porcelain crown is that most of the all-porcelain crowns are fragile.
If you have a habit of teeth clenching or grinding, then a weak all-porcelain anterior crown is not the right choice. Instead, you should go for an anterior crown made of porcelain fused to metal (PFM). However, these days, even porcelain crowns are coming with similar strength as the PFM anterior crown. Also, the use of an all-porcelain crown is more suitable when the underlying tooth is not dark in color. As the all-porcelain crown is translucent, it will not be able to conceal a dark background.
Porcelain fused to the metal crown for a matte look to the tooth
The second variety of anterior crown is the PFM crown. PFM crowns are stronger than all-porcelain crowns and have less chance of damage. Hence they can be a long-lasting solution to tooth discoloration. They are safe against a sharp bite or teeth clenching. PFM crowns may not provide a shiny appearance to the teeth. The metal inside the PFM does not reflect light that well, thus providing a matte look to the teeth. So if your other teeth are not shiny, then PFM anterior crown is an ideal solution to conceal your discolored front tooth.
As you age and the gum line pulls off the crown, the edge of the PFM crown reveals a black line representing the line where the metal meets the porcelain. It can be a turn-off to dental aesthetics. Apart from that, PFM crowns have strong bio mechanical properties, withstand higher stress concentration, and you can mold them to any desired shape easily than all-porcelain crowns. That is why a temporary stainless steel anterior crown is an excellent option for kids with broken milking teeth.
Conclusion
Anterior crowns cannot bring back color to your existing teeth. Therefore, the prevention of tooth discoloration is essential. You can prevent the occurrence of stains if you brush your teeth after every meal. You should rinse your mouth after having coffee, wine, cola, and other drinks or foods. Visiting your dentist for frequent cleaning sessions will also help in preventing tooth discoloration. Root canal treatment will help in avoiding intrinsic stains that occur due to the damage of a blood vessel.
Early detection and treatment will help you avoid the chances of decay and the darkening of teeth. You should also avoid the intake of high fluoride-containing water. Call up your public health department to check the fluoride concentration in your drinking water. If you are looking for teeth whitening, you should whiten the teeth before installing the anterior crown so that the crown shade matches the surrounding teeth. Also, make sure to have frequent dental appointments to achieve total healthy oral care.
