Dark tooth

Do you have a dark tooth?

Do you have one tooth that is dark or grey?  Have you tried whitening it but does not lighten?  Sometimes the nerve of that tooth had died at one point and caused the tooth to become dark.   It may take many years after the death of the nerve to see the tooth to get dark.  Usually a tooth like this does not hurt.

So then what causes the nerve to die?  Acute (sudden) trauma or even chronic (persistent) trauma to the tooth can cause the nerve to die and result in a dark tooth later on.  Acute trauma to a tooth may be from falling down and hitting your mouth against something or even against your teeth.  Chronic trauma to a tooth may be from grinding your teeth at night and/or having a improper bite.  When one particular tooth bears majority of the bite forces, then it can slowly cause internal damage.  Sometimes a deep filling that was once done on your front tooth was a little too deep and ultimately caused the nerve to die slowly.

What can be done to fix this dark tooth?  First, when it is verified that the nerve of the tooth is dead using series of tests by your dentist, then a root canal is necessary to remove the “dead nerve”.  Second, internal bleaching will be done to whiten the tooth from the inside.   After the tooth reached its desired color/shade, it will be permanently sealed.

Do all root canal teeth need crowns?   In a case where the dark tooth is not compromised by many old fillings and repairs, it can usually be restored without the need to crown the tooth.

If you have a concern with a dark tooth or know somebody that has one, call our Orlando dental office at 407-851-0784.  We will be happy to evaluate the options customized for you.