Can anything be done about the black line on my porcelain fused to metal crowns?

March 30, 2010 – 8:32 pm

I have porcelain fused to metal crowns on six of my upper teeth, and there is a very noticeable, very ugly black line right where the crowns meet my gums. What are my options to get rid of this? I need to find an inexpensive fix, if I can.

Edie in Norfolk

Dear Edie,

There really is not any way to inexpensively fix this issue. To fully answer your question, I have to explain a little bit about the actual structure of the porcelain fused to metal crown.

The black line you are seeing is the metal portion of the porcelain fused to metal, and it is part of the structure of the crown. The dental technician who produced the crown had to use powerful opaquers on the portion of the crown that is closest to the gum line. Your dentist could attempt to drill away the visible metal, but I would never recommend this. Even if he manages to get rid of the black line, there would still be a serious color match issue with the portion of your natural tooth that is revealed, and it would likely be impossible to use bonding to blend the crown and underlying tooth and make it look natural. It is very, very unlikely that this course of action would be acceptable cosmetically.

This leaves you with two realistic choices: live with the black line, or replace the crowns with porcelain crowns. As you are likely aware, that is not what most people would consider an inexpensive fix.

I wish I could offer you a better option, but porcelain fused to metal crowns are rarely a good aesthetic choice for front teeth. Good luck.