Tooth whitening is everywhere. Here in North Carolina, it’s about to get even more commonly available (that’s not necessarily a good thing but that’s another post). There’s another type of bleaching that is done internally when the tooth is discolored from the inside (as opposed to what you usually think of when you hear teeth bleaching). There are different reasons for a tooth getting discolored from the inside. Probably the common reason is there was trauma to the tooth and it bled internally. If a tooth does need internal bleaching, it will need to have a root canal treatment (most have already had one). Typically, we do these when someone has to have a tooth treated or retreated anyway and we do the bleaching at the same time. It will usually take a few visits to get the color to match the surrounding teeth.
Archive for trauma
It’s probably a good idea to know what to do in an emergency, especially if you have kids, so here is an online dental trauma guide.
And, while we’re talking about tooth trauma, be sure and wear mouth guards for all sports or other activities where you run the risk of getting hit in the mouth. You’d be surprised how easy this is. One of the more common causes we see is where someone is knocked in the mouth by a baby or dog. And the damage is not always obvious. It’s not uncommon for us to see a patient that has no visible tooth damage or decay but needing a root canal. After much wracking of the brain, they’ll remember getting hit in the mouth several years earlier. Gizmo has come close to doing that kind of damage more than a few times. She may look innocent and calm, but she can go from zero to wild in a tenth of a second!