we have all seen people smile and there is a single ugly dark tooth
Usually this is the upper front tooth and because it can become so dark this stands out and is very obvious and not at all aesthetic
There are many options to fix this but first we need to understand some of the causes
1) trauma to the tooth has caused the nerve to die and bleed
This then caused blood to be released in to the small channels of the tooth
As this blood breaks down it slowly darkens and stains the whole tooth2) incomplete root canal treatment and there was left over nerve and blood vessels in the tooth
This also could break down and cause staining and darkening over time3) a crack in the tooth causes the nerve to die4) a deep filling or deep decay causes the nerve to break down and slowly die off
Once the tooth has darkened it does not change colour back by itself
Options to change colour
Inside and outside whitening
This is done after root canal treatment and is a process that gel is placed in a custom fitting tray
The gel is changed every few hours and works only the dark tooth whitening from inside the root canal as well outside on the surface
This is a great procedure of done correctly and does not remove any additional tooth so is very conservative
Dr Preiss has completed hundreds of tooth whitening cases through careful case selection and using only the most effective and safe materials
Porcelain veneer
This removes only minimal amount of tooth and allows a thin layer of porcelain to sit on the surface and hide the dark colour
The main issue is that because porcelain veneers are thin then it is very hard to stop the dark colour shining through
To do this you need to have a fantastic technician and additional tricks by the dentists to hide the colour of the tooth
Dr Preiss has performed this technique for many what’s very successfully BUT it is all about choosing the correct cases.
Full Porcelain Crown
This again requires drilling of the tooth
And is effective at hiding the dark underneath part of the tooth
The main issue is that you have to drill a lot of the tooth to create this effect
In addition if you get a recession of the tooth then the dark root will again become visible.
So the best way to treat a dark tooth is to visit your dentist and discuss all options
Dr Preiss is very experienced to carry out a consultation and choose the best treatment options
