Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums: The gums around the front teeth I had crowned long ago have turned dark.

Hello.

This is the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

"The gums around the front teeth I had crowned a long time ago

have gradually turned dark,

and there’s even a smell.

Do I need to redo it?"

Many people think that simply replacing the prosthesis

will solve the problem,

but in fact, the treatment direction changes completely depending on the condition inside the crown.

In particular, if the prosthesis is more than 10 years old,

even if it looks fine on the outside,

there is a high chance that a problem is progressing

inside.

Today,

through a case of a patient who had an old front tooth crown

and noticed dark gums and even a smell,

I will explain step by step

when crown replacement can solve the problem,

and when extraction followed by an implant is necessary. ^^

Why gums turn dark

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums

1. When metal components show through the gums

PFM porcelain-type prostheses have

a metal framework inside.

At first, it is covered by the gums,

but as time passes,

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums

if the gums gradually recede,

the inner metal edge may become visible

and appear dark.

If the tooth itself is healthy,

this is simply a cosmetic issue,

and replacing it with a zirconia crown or

an all-ceramic crown without metal will solve the problem.

2. When secondary decay develops inside the prosthesis

This is the more serious case.

Bacteria enter through the gap between the crown and the tooth,

and decay progresses quietly from the inside.

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums: a gap caused by secondary decay

In particular, teeth that have had root canal treatment

cannot feel pain,

so it is often only after the decay has progressed significantly

that people notice a smell or looseness.

If there is a smell around the crown,

a slight feeling of movement when chewing,

or if the gums swell or bleed frequently,

it needs to be checked.

A case of a patient who came in because an old crown had caused darkened gums

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums

This patient had received PFM crowns a long time ago

on two front teeth (#11, #21)

and one upper molar (#15).

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But as time went by,

the gums became darker,

and recently there was even a smell,

so the patient visited us with a worried expression.

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After checking the radiograph,

the condition was not as good as expected.

The tooth had undergone root canal treatment and had even been fitted with a post (metal post),

and secondary decay had progressed significantly toward the root.

Having a post in place means that when the crown was made,

the tooth damage was extensive.

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When I checked the tooth for looseness,

the inside had decayed quite a bit,

and there was even slight mobility.

Because removing the crown would likely cause the tooth to fracture,

the condition was explained honestly to the patient:

that extraction followed by an implant would be a safer and longer-lasting option than retreatment.

Fortunately, there were no signs of inflammation,

so we were able to proceed with immediate implant placement,

which means placing the implant at the same time as the extraction.

Placing it after checking the exact position with CT

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums

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The front teeth are the most important area aesthetically.

Of course, molars are important too,

but for front teeth, if the placement angle or depth is even slightly off,

the final prosthesis may look unnatural,

and in severe cases, the implant may fracture due to an incorrect placement angle.

That is why, before placement, I carefully plan with CT

and after placement,

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I also take another image to confirm that it was inserted exactly as intended.

This process may seem cumbersome,

but I think it is a necessary step to provide results that the patient can use for a long time,

so I check everything even more carefully.^^

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How do you live without a front tooth during the implant period?

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums

For the implant to firmly fuse with the bone,

it usually takes about 3 to 4 months.

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If you have no front tooth during that time,

it can make social life difficult.

Wire-tem is a temporary device that can be taken in and out like dentures.

It is designed to rest lightly so that no force is placed on the implant area,

so you can remove it when eating or brushing,

and wear it only when going বাইরে.

Unless someone looks closely at it,

it is barely noticeable,

so you can go about daily life without much inconvenience.

Final prosthesis fabrication

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums

After 4 months, we measure the numbers with a machine to check whether the implant has integrated well with the bone,

and once we confirm that the numbers are high,

we take an impression to make the prosthesis.

Our clinic has an in-house dental lab,

so during the prosthesis fabrication process, we can immediately adjust and communicate about small details,

which makes the reproduction of color and shape much more accurate than sending it to an outside lab.

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Especially for front teeth, when seen in natural light,

they need to blend naturally with the surrounding teeth,

but it is difficult to reproduce subtle color differences from photos alone.

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After that, the final prosthesis was made and attached,

and the patient said the gum color had returned to a natural appearance

and the smell had disappeared.

Many people worry about discoloration or odor in the gums due to old crowns.

However, some people delay treatment thinking, "It should be fine," only to come in after the tooth condition has worsened.

Depending on the condition of the tooth,

it may be resolved with a simple crown replacement,

or, as in today's case, an implant may be the better choice.

The important thing is to choose the most appropriate treatment for the patient based on an accurate diagnosis.

If you have any questions,

please leave a comment.

Thank you for reading this long post today.^^

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Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Darkened Gums: The gums around the front teeth I had crowned long ago have turned dark.

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| This post was written directly by Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information in compliance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Advertising Act. The information provided is for reference only, and for symptom assessment and accurate management methods, please visit a medical institution and receive guidance from a medical professional. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve risks depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please make decisions after sufficient consultation with medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |