Black line above front tooth cap?

Question

Is there anyway other than getting a new cap to cover the black line at the top of my cap?

Thanks Dave. Can you give me a ballpark figure on what a solid porcelain crown might run me ? I am located in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania incase dental costs vary by region.

Answer 1

Sharon, that is a good question. Unfortunately there is no good way to cover up that black line. I assume the crown you have is a porcelain fused to metal crown. And it is the little edge of the metal underneath the white porcelain that you are now seeing.
I guess you could consider something like a gum graft. Since the black line is starting to show probably because your gums are "maturing" or receding slightly. But I personally would not consider that.
And some might say you could drill that line out a bit and fill it with white filling material. If I had no other option available to me I might try this. However doing that might affect the retention of the crown, and down the road the crown might come off. And once a white filling is placed, it usually needs to be redone in about 5 years, maybe sooner since it is down right at the gumline.
Since I do many all porcelain crown in the front, I would have to say the best thing to do would be to get an all porcelain crown.

Answer 2

No. This naturally happens over time because your gums receed. Ask your dentist if something can be done, short of getting a whole new crown. Maybe they can take the current crown off and redo some of the enamel over the gold base.
It is worth asking about.

Answer 3

Is the black line part of the cap? Sometimes u cant see it because its tucked snuggly into ur gums, your gums might be receding.