One front tooth has turned darker. Is the nerve dead?

Hello!

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

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| Directions |

While looking in the mirror,

there are times when

one front tooth

looks strangely darker.

"I guess whitening will fix it?"

I bought a self-whitening kit,

and while the other teeth become brighter,

only that one tooth

doesn’t change color...

To give you the conclusion first,

in this case,

regular whitening

does not solve the problem.

Because the cause is not on the tooth surface,

but inside the tooth.

Today, I’ll explain why

and how to treat it.

| Chapter 1. Why only one front tooth becomes darker |

When only one tooth

becomes darker,

there are usually one of two causes.

First,

when the nerve has died

Inside the tooth,

there is a tissue called the pulp,

which contains nerves and blood vessels.

If the cavity was deep,

if the tooth was hit a long time ago,

or if the tooth had root canal treatment

in the past,

the pulp can slowly die,

and the tissue inside can degenerate.

The pigment formed at that time

seeps into the inside of the tooth

and changes the tooth color.

Second,

a history of dental trauma

Did you ever fall and

hit your front teeth when you were young?

Even if it looked fine at the time,

if there was minor bleeding

inside the tooth,

color change may appear

gradually over time.

This is the part that surprises patients

the most.

| Chapter 2. Why regular whitening doesn’t work |

This is where many people

waste time.

Tooth discoloration is broadly divided

into extrinsic and intrinsic types.

| Extrinsic discoloration |

Coffee, wine, cigarettes, etc.

can be addressed with scaling

or regular whitening.

| Intrinsic discoloration |

This is when the nerve has died,

or the internal tooth tissue has degenerated,

causing the dentin inside the tooth

to change color first.

This kind of discoloration

does not fade just by applying agents

from the outside.

Because the location where the pigment is settled

is different.

To put it simply,

coffee stains on a white blanket

can be removed with detergent,

but

if the cotton inside the blanket is discolored,

the color will not come out

no matter how much you wash it.

| Chapter 3. The solution is non-vital tooth whitening. |

Intrinsic discoloration is treated with

non-vital tooth whitening (walking bleach).

Simply put,

it is a treatment that places whitening medication

inside the tooth

to remove the color from within.

Treatment process

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Through an opening on the back side of the tooth,

we place a high-concentration hydrogen peroxide agent

inside,

and seal it with temporary material.

The agent is usually replaced every week,

and after repeating the process about 2 to 3 times on average,

the tooth can recover close to its original color.

One thing to keep in mind, however.

With non-vital tooth whitening,

after about one year on average,

the color tends to gradually darken again.

Just as white clothes get dirty again

after being worn for a long time.

At that point, you can try non-vital tooth whitening again

or choose a covering restoration

for a more permanent solution.

Conclusion

When only one front tooth has darkened,

regular whitening

does not solve the problem.

Because the cause is inside the tooth.

When you receive a consultation,

it is best to start with a place

that can identify the cause accurately.

As a specialist in integrated dentistry,

let me add one more thing:

discoloration in front teeth

does not improve with time.

If it is left untreated while the nerve has died,

inflammation can occur at the root tip,

and later on, it may become impossible

to save the precious tooth.

If you look in the mirror and think,

"Huh? Something seems wrong with this tooth?"

please don’t put it off;

check the cause first.

Teeth do not give us

endless opportunities

as time goes by.

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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 provided information is for reference only, and we recommend visiting a medical institution to understand your symptoms and receive guidance from medical professionals on the correct management method. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve risks that vary by 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. |