If you ever receive a blow to a tooth or have a very deep filling, there is always a risk that the tooth can die and if this happens it can often leave a tooth looking dull and dark in comparison to the rest of your smile.
This happens as a result of the nerve inside the tooth and any bacteria which may be present releasing pigments which stain the tooth from the inside out. When this is the case regular tooth whitening will often not be sufficient to return the tooth to its original colour and care will be needed.
Firstly, if it has been confirmed that the tooth has died and it has not had any treatment it will need root canal treatment. This will not, in itself, change the colour of the tooth but will clear any bacteria that are present in the tooth and prevent infection which inevitably follows a tooth devitalising.
"We always endeavour to preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible"
Once completed, we can begin to work on improving the appearance of the tooth itself. We always endeavour to preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible, so we will normally begin with internal bleaching, right at the source of the discolouration & this process works with the same principals as tooth whitening. The process is very simple & importantly completely pain-free. The internal bleaching can often be carried out in conjunction with general tooth whitening to raise the appearance of your other teeth as well as improving the colour of the surface of the dead tooth.
We often find after completing the combination of internal bleaching and tooth whitening, we can achieve a great result and return the tooth to its natural colour.
Don't let a dead tooth get in the way of your smile.
In some cases where the tooth has not responded as well as we would hope to, internal bleaching we can provide alternate treatment modalities such as composite or porcelain veneers to give an excellent cosmetic outcome which looks natural and restores your smile.
So, for a dead tooth, we have more than one way to make sure you smile from ear to ear. Book your consultation today.