If a Worn Upper Front Tooth Turns Black, Why You Shouldn’t Leave It Alone

Hello.

I am the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

"There’s no pain,

but the tip of my front tooth in the middle is getting darker.

Is this a cavity?"

If you happen to notice that the end of your front tooth has turned dark while looking in the mirror,

it can be alarming.

Usually, people brush it off, thinking,

"It doesn’t hurt, so it’s fine."

But discoloration that appears after the front tooth has worn down and the inner layer is exposed

is very likely the tooth’s final warning.

Today, I’ll explain in an easy-to-understand way, through a real case, what happens when front-tooth wear is left untreated.

1. Why do front teeth wear down? If a worn upper front tooth turns black, why you shouldn’t leave it alone

Front-tooth wear can occur naturally as a result of aging,

but it is also greatly affected by everyday eating habits and lifestyle habits.

If you enjoy hard, chewy foods, or unconsciously use your teeth like tools,

those habits gradually wear down even strong front teeth.

The patient who visited us this time had a similar case.

2. A patient who came in with cavities caused by front-tooth wear If a worn upper front tooth turns black, why you shouldn’t leave it alone

Recently, a patient came to the clinic worried because the middle front teeth (#11, 21) had turned black.

They had always had strong front teeth, so they would neatly bite through altari radish,

and even used their front teeth to open bottle caps.

They could feel the teeth wearing down little by little, but since there was no pain, they kept using them.

Then, over just a few days, the ends of the front teeth became noticeably dark, so they came to the dental clinic after others urged them to.

After examining the teeth, we found that the entire tooth had not turned dark;

rather, the discoloration was concentrated mainly on the worn ends.

At first, we might suspect a nerve injury and wonder whether this is discoloration of a nonvital tooth.

(Nonvital tooth discoloration: a condition in which the tooth turns darker as the nerve dies due to trauma or other causes.)

However, this patient had never received root canal treatment in the past,

and the discoloration was limited only to the worn tip, not the entire tooth.

Considering all the circumstances, it was judged to be less of a nerve problem and more that

a cavity had progressed through the weakened gap created by wear.

Why do cavities develop more easily in worn areas? If a worn upper front tooth turns black, why you shouldn’t leave it alone

The reason is the structure of the tooth.

The outer surface of our teeth is covered by enamel, which is as hard as glass and serves as a protective barrier.

But if that barrier is worn away by bad habits,

the softer dentin hidden underneath becomes exposed.

Because dentin is much softer and weaker than the outer layer,

once bacteria invade, they spread into the tooth much more quickly.

It may help to think of it like a peeled apple.

An apple with its skin intact stays fresh, but once part of the skin is peeled off, that area quickly turns brown and rots, right?

Teeth are the same.

In fact, when we checked the side facing the palate,

a cavity had spread deeply into the inside through the worn gap where the protective layer was gone...

Fortunately, the cavity had not reached the nerve,

so we were able to avoid the root canal treatment that patients fear most.

"Can’t you just remove the cavity and fill it with resin?" If a worn upper front tooth turns black, why you shouldn’t leave it alone

Patients often ask first about the less expensive "resin" treatment.

But unfortunately, in cases like this patient’s, where the teeth have been used under excessive force, resin is not a good alternative.ㅠㅠ

There were already microscopic cracks hidden throughout the tooth,

and the end of the front tooth is an area that directly receives force when biting through food.

If it were filled only with resin, there was a very high risk that it would quickly fall out or break!

Just as a crack in a building column cannot be fixed by simply painting the surface,

in situations like this, treatment that covers and protects the entire tooth is essential.

In the end, we helped treat it with a zirconia crown, which safely protects the tooth.

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We also carefully reflected the patient’s concern about the gap between the front teeth, and finished the case naturally.^^

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A worn front tooth is not just a change in shape;

it is a dangerous condition that leaves the inside of the tooth exposed and defenseless.

Thinking, "It doesn’t hurt, so it’s fine," can later come back as a much bigger cost, such as root canal treatment or tooth extraction.

Before it decays more deeply, I strongly recommend that you have a detailed examination to see what stage your tooth is currently in.

Thank you for reading this long post today.^^

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If a worn upper front tooth turns black, why you shouldn’t leave it alone

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02-481-4278

| 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 we recommend visiting a medical institution to receive guidance from medical professionals for symptom assessment and accurate management methods. 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 the 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. |