Q. I’m 37 years old and suffer with gingivitis which has weakened my gums. 6 months ago I had a fall and knocked my front tooth out.. I now have a denture in place. The front tooth next to the lost one is now black from the damage and is very obvious as my natural teeth were crooked and the denture is now straight. I asked my nhs dentist if I could have the black one crowned to even up the look of my teeth and he told me he wouldn’t do it on the nhs as it would only be for cosmetic reasons. I am on a low income and so cannot afford a private crown.. my dentist told me that the only option would be to have the tooth removed and a denture in place. Can this be right? I really want to keep my tooth but I’m so self conscious of my smile now.