The dark tooth is a more common condition in children, usually after direct trauma to the tooth caused by a fall or violent blow to the mouth, for example.
However, darkening of teeth can also occur in adults, whose most common causes include the use of certain types of medications, especially antibiotics, root canal treatments, or frequent ingestion of foods or beverages that can stain teeth.Learn more about this type of food and what to do.
The appearance of a dark tooth can have several causes, however, the most common include:
In addition, certain lifestyle habits, such as drinking a lot of coffee, smoking, or drinking red wine very often, can also cause teeth to gradually darken over time.
As a person ages, a person may also have darker teeth due to the loss of dental minerals.
In more temporary situations, such as stroke, duct treatment, or tartar buildup, tooth coloration usually returns to normal over time and proper oral hygiene is important.
However, if the tooth is obscured by other causes such as cavities or infection of the dental pulp, it is very important to consult the dentist to identify the problem and initiate the most appropriate treatment, this type of cause can be identified with a simple observation.dentist’s teeth, or additional tests, such as x-rays of the mouth.
After treatment, it is normal for the tooth to return to its original color, however, if the color remains dark, even after a few weeks, the dentist may indicate a type of treatment to lighten the tooth, such as:
This treatment is usually used to treat stains caused by eating or drinking and can be done in the doctor’s office or at home, using drops created by the dentist.
This type of whitening is not effective if there has been trauma to the tooth or if a root canal has been performed, since in these cases a necrosis of the dental pulp may have occurred, in these cases you may choose to perform an internal whitening
External and internal bleaching is not effective in stains caused by ingestion of tetracyclines.
In case of trauma, ductal treatment or medication that has blackened the tooth, resin facets can be applied to the teeth and then perform external whitening, in order to improve the results.
However, this type of treatment is only recommended when a permanent tooth is darkened. This is because if the darkening occurs in a child’s baby tooth, it is usually enough to wait until the tooth falls out and the permanent tooth grows, which should be a normal color.
If the teeth are too dark, they should not be covered with resin veneers, as they will not be enough to mask the color of the teeth, in these cases you can opt for the assembly of porcelain dental facets.
It is advisable to see the dentist when the tooth is suspected to have been blackened by cavities, dental infections, medication use or plaque buildup, as they are situations that require more specific treatment.
In other situations, it is recommended to consult your dentist when the tooth does not return to its normal color after a few weeks or when other symptoms appear, such as:
In addition, any other more general symptoms, such as fever, should also be evaluated by a professional.