All-Ceramic Crown Redo: How Awkward-Looking Front Teeth Change

Front teeth that bother you every time you look in the mirror.

You clearly spent no small amount of money on treatment, yet something feels off, like they're not really your own teeth.

Does this sound like a concern you have right now?

Today I'll share the story of a patient who had all-ceramic crowns done at another clinic,

but wasn't satisfied with the result and decided to have a redo.

I am Park Jonguk, director of Dream Dental Clinic.

As a dentist who has practiced veneer treatment in Apgujeong-dong for 20 years, I really do see a great many redo cases.

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This patient had all-ceramic crowns placed on all four upper front teeth.

You can probably tell just from the first photo.

The color is dull and the shape is unnatural.

It didn't match the surrounding natural teeth at all, so whenever she spoke

or smiled, all eyes were inevitably drawn to her teeth.

Treatment meant to make her look pretty

had instead become a complex.

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A redo is far more demanding than the first treatment.

First, we precisely analyze the current state of the teeth.

How much tooth remains beneath the existing crowns,

the condition of the gums, whether the bite is stable — everything has to be examined carefully.

Then, through a wax-up, we design the final result in advance.

It's the process of shaping tooth form and size to fit the individual — this step determines how complete the final result will be.

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Once the existing crowns were removed, the amount of tooth reduction turned out to be considerable.

The previous clinic had reduced the teeth a great deal for the crowns.

This is exactly the most regrettable part of a redo.

Since a tooth once reduced can never be restored, the design has to make the most of whatever tooth structure remains.

In situations like this, 20 years of accumulated experience makes a huge difference.

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We first make and fit temporary teeth.

This is a process of checking the shape, length, line, and harmony with the lips together with the patient.

Only by communicating and adjusting thoroughly at this stage can there be no regrets with the final restoration.

Even in the temporary-tooth stage, the patient's expression had already changed.

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The final restoration is hand-made by a skilled dental technician.

It's not a simple, single-ceramic, stamped-out approach.

By layering various ceramics one on top of another in a build-up method, the depth of translucency and color found in natural teeth is reproduced.

Hand-made build-up takes a long time and requires highly demanding technique, but the naturalness of the result is incomparable.

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Looking at the final result, rather than feeling like the teeth were changed, it feels as though this is what this patient's teeth were like all along.

That is the direction I have pursued in veneer treatment for 20 years: naturalness that doesn't show.

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Q&A

Q. Can crowns done at another clinic also be redone?

Yes, it's possible. However, the treatment method may vary depending on how much of the tooth was already reduced, so a precision diagnosis is needed first. I recommend consulting a clinic with extensive experience in redo cases.

Q. Does the tooth need to be reduced again during a redo?

Since it has already been reduced, additional reduction is kept to a minimum. The principle is to proceed while preserving as much of the remaining tooth structure as possible.

Q. How long does the hand-made build-up method take?

Generally, it takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Because a skilled technician builds it up layer by layer with multiple ceramics, it takes time, but you get a correspondingly high-quality result.

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Graduated from Seoul National University School of Dentistry

Board-certified specialist in conservative dentistry, trained at Seoul National University Dental Hospital

Author of a veneer textbook (published 2025, first edition sold out within 8 months)

Regular lecturer at Lamista Academy