Darren Gardner DDS, Provo Dentist
Before After
"My Tooth Turned Dark!"
It is not uncommon to have a front tooth darken after being jarred in an accident. It can be unsightly and is commonly noticed first in photographs. The good news is that these teeth can be whitened very successfully through a process called internal bleaching. This simply means the tooth is whitened from the inside.
Why is the Tooth Darker?
A tooth turns dark because the blood supply is severed and the tooth bleeds inside the pulp. Just as when blood dries and turns dark on your skin, the blood inside the tooth dries and turns dark . The nerve dies and people often refer to the dark tooth as a "dead tooth." A darkened tooth is also at risk of infection and can become painful if it isn't treated with a root canal to remove the dead debris and to seal the root. Root canal therapy must be finished before internal bleaching can be done.
Internal Bleaching
The patient pictured above jarred his tooth in an accident and the tooth later turned dark. Months later, the area became swollen and painful. After we completed root canal therapy, a special bleach was placed inside the tooth and sealed up. The bleach was then replaced every 3-5 days until the tooth was slightly lighter than the tooth next to it to allow for shade rebound (the tooth will darken slightly after the bleach is removed.) Then a final filling was placed. Now the tooth looks and feels great!
Do I Need a Crown?
You will only need a crown if the tooth has been weakened from extensive decay or a large filling, or the tooth doesn't whiten successfully. (I have never had that happen). Otherwise, internal bleaching is the most effective way to match the tooth shade. Cutting the tooth down for a crown without trying internal bleaching first is aggressive, may reduce the life of the tooth, and is especially challenging to match the adjacent tooth. It is far better to whiten first.