new crown issue

[evan28]

Hello,

I had a crown fitted on a front tooth 10 years ago which was never that convincing, with a dark visible line on the gum line. The tooth underneath is dead and black (impact injury, nerve taken out), so the gum also looks slightly discoloured.

Last year i finally decided I wanted a more natural looking tooth so I went to have it replaced and was advised a porcelain crown. I went with this, the dentist was helpful and friendly and I left pretty happy with the results, although the join to the gum did look slightly hard, square and white.

But now a year later i've started to notice a faint, dark line appearing on the gum join, becoming increasingly visible over the past few weeks.
It seems like the gum is receding and the dark tooth becoming visible underneath, either that or the the top of the crown is wearing down (?)

Does anyone know where I stand regarding this? It seems like a lot of money to be spending for such temporary results, it's not a million miles away from where it was before (although the rest of the tooth looks better), I cant help feeling it was a waste of money since i went in for purely cosmetic reasons.

Do i have any rights regarding replacement or compensation or is it just tough luck since the crown is still attached? I look after my teeth, so it's not like they're getting neglected.

Sorry if this question has been answered else where. Any advice/knowledge anyone could provide would be much appreciated.

 

[drhirst]

Hi Evan,

What a bummer!!!!
When crowns are placed the join is often placed just below the gum to hide it. Unfortunately, sometimes the gum does not like it, and recedes slightly so the join is visible. This is more common in people with thin delicate gums. Those with thick gums tend to find that this does not happen. The fact that the dark root could be seen though your gum suggests that you might have thin gums.
It is probably not the fault of the dentist that your gums receded. However, if your gums were very thin and delicate, perhaps he should have warned you that this was a possibility.
It might be worth going back to discuss it with him. It is difficult to give you more definite advice that this.
Hope this helps

Lincoln