Discoloured Front Tooth
A discoloured central incisor most commonly has a history of trauma to the tooth. The force of the impact injures the living cells of the tooth, eventually the tissue decomposes and releases brown pigments which attributes to the dark color of the tooth. The tooth progressively darkens over a period of time, sometimes over 10 years.
Treatment for this is completing a Root canal procedure on the affected tooth if it hasn’t been done already. There are two methods of restoring the color of the tooth: 1. Internal Bleaching and/or 2. Porcelain veneer
- Internal Bleach or Non vital bleach :- For this procedure, we would insert a bleaching mix (usually sodium perborate mixed with hydrogen peroxide) into the pulp chamber of the darkened tooth for a short period of time. The chemical reaction of the mix whitens the tooth from within. The procedure is repeated every 5-6 days till the desired tooth color is attained. The permanent filling follows once the procedure is completed.
- Porcelain Veneer :- At times the discoloration of the tooth may be such that despite the internal bleaching, the tooth may continue to look different than the adjacent tooth. In such a case, the front surface of the tooth is prepared to bond a Porcelain veneer. This will mask any stubborn intrinsic stain which cannot be treated with the Bleaching procedure.
