When you need a dental crown, you want it to look as natural as possible. After all, your crown isn’t just restoring the strength and function of your tooth — it’s also part of your smile. This is where color-matching comes in. A well-matched crown blends seamlessly with your surrounding teeth, making it virtually impossible for others to notice. But how exactly do dentists get the color right?
Step 1: Evaluating Your Natural Tooth Color
The first step in creating a natural-looking dental crown is assessing the color of your existing teeth. Dentists use a standardized tool called a shade guide, which contains tabs representing a variety of tooth shades. These tabs range from light to dark and may also vary slightly in hue and translucency. Your dentist will hold the tabs next to your natural teeth, often under different lighting conditions, to find the closest match.
Step 2: Considering Lighting and Surroundings
Lighting can dramatically affect how a tooth color appears. Dentists often evaluate shade under natural light or use special color-corrected lighting to ensure accuracy. Some may even take the shade from multiple angles or compare it with neighboring teeth to see how the crown will look in different settings.
Step 3: Using Digital Shade-Matching Technology
Many modern dental practices now use digital tools to improve accuracy. Digital shade-matching devices take a high-resolution scan or photo of your tooth and analyze its color scientifically. This helps eliminate human error and ensures your crown looks as natural as possible.
Step 4: Customizing the Crown in the Lab
Once the correct shade is chosen, this information is sent to a dental lab, where technicians carefully craft your crown. They don’t just focus on color — they also take into account the translucency, surface texture, and luster of your natural teeth. For highly visible teeth, technicians may add subtle layers of color to mimic the way light reflects off enamel, giving the crown a lifelike appearance.
Step 5: Making Adjustments if Needed
When your crown is ready, your dentist will place it temporarily to check its color in your mouth. If it’s not a perfect match, adjustments can often be made. Sometimes, a crown may need to be sent back to the lab for slight color modifications before final placement.
Your Role in Color Matching
For the best results, avoid wearing brightly colored lipstick or clothing to your appointment, as these can affect how tooth color appears. If you are planning to whiten your teeth, do it before your crown is made so the shade will match your new, brighter smile.
Color-matching dental crowns is a blend of science, technology, and artistry. With careful shade selection, advanced tools, and skilled technicians, today’s crowns can look so natural that no one will know the difference.
About the Author
Dr. Niki Jayswal graduated from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry with honors, and while there, she earned the Omicron Kappa Upsilon (dental honor society) Award for outstanding academic achievement. To date, she has completed advanced courses and is an active member of multiple nationally renowned dental groups, including the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the Dallas County Dental Society. If you need to restore a damaged tooth with a dental crown, we’ve got you covered! Schedule an appointment online or call our Lewisville office at (972) 366-4452.