Normally, properly installed dental implants can last for a long time while still looking good. But whether the crown's shape is causing pain or you just don't like its look anymore, take heart in the fact that replacing just the crown will be a cheaper and simpler process than replacing the entire implant. If any of these three situations apply to you, consult your dentist about your crown replacement options.

Your Smile Isn't Symmetrical Because The Crown Is Too Large

If an implanted crown on one side of your mouth doesn't have a sufficiently similar shape to its counterpart on the other side, the appearance of your smile will suffer as a result. Even if your smile has looked relatively symmetrical in the past, new damage to your teeth could change all that.

In this situation, it usually makes sense to replace the implant's crown with a smaller one that doesn't draw as much attention to itself. One disadvantage of doing this is that you could suffer gum pain as your gum line readjusts. 

Inflamed Gums Are Pressing Against The Crown's Edges

Inflamed gums are another reason to replace an implant crown that's too large and unevenly shaped. While you should certainly wait to see whether the inflammation is caused by an unrelated infection, there's no reason not to take action if your gum line has pushed itself up and around the crown incorrectly.

You can always have a cosmetic dentist reduce and realign your gum line if you really like the look of your teeth as they are. However, this is likely to be a much more involved and expensive procedure than just replacing your implant's crown.

A Crack Has Allowed Debris To Push The Crown And Abutment Apart

The abutment is the piece of metal connecting your implant's crown to its titanium root. In order for the crown to sit securely on the rest of the implant, there can't be any debris coming between it and the abutment.

So if you notice the crown moving at all when you touch it with your finger, put a dental mirror in your mouth and try to spot any cracks. There's a good chance that the crown is moving because a crack has let gunk and foodstuffs from your mouth into the abutment space. If this is the case, cleaning the abutment will be relatively easy once the cracked crown is removed by a dentist like Schirmer Dentistry.