Why do I have a black line at the base of my crown? - Tooronga Family Dentistry in Glen Iris

Many times a dark line appears next to a tooth with a crown on it. It is common for these black lines to form just at the base of the crown or on the gums surrounding your crown. Typically, no pain is felt as this should only be a cosmetic problem or there may be bleeding around the crown. If pain is present, please schedule an appointment for an examination, as soon as possible. Whether it is an individual crown, a bridge or a tooth that had a root canal treatment, the main causes of its unsightly appearance most commonly are:

Having a porcelain-fused to metal PFM crown with receding gums. As the gums recede it reveals the metal part of your crown.
Staining by the metal of your PFM crown. There are many metal alloys that can be used to make a crown. The difference between them is the amount of noble metals( Gold, Silver and Paladium) and base metals that they contain. The more base metals the crown alloy contains, the higher are the risks that your gums that come into contact with the metal will go dark.
A cavity is forming between your crown and gums.
A tooth that had been treated with a root canal treatment sealant that contains silver.

To eleiminate the dark line around your crown you have the following solutions:

Replacing your old crown with a full porcelain crown to get rid of the black lines related to the old crown.
If a cavity is present, it would be important to remove any decay and fill the caivty.

if you have a dark line spoiling your smile or if you would like more information about it, please ask Dr. Kaufman or schedule an appointment for a consultation.