" Aunty na so them born me o! "....that was the first thing he told me as soon as I mentioned that his front teeth were discoloured. Now tell me, do they ever give birth to a baby and he/she comes out with a tooth? (except for some rare cases) not to talk of the first upper incisors having a totally different darker colour from the adjacent teeth.
He is my friend and my patient but this time, I knew he got something mistaken.
You see many of us assume that because we've always seen a particular deviation in our mouth for a long period of time, we conclude that it's normal. In this case, my friend had a condition we call a "dead tooth". When a tooth is considered "dead" it means the nerve is dead and the supply to that tooth has been cut off. Have you ever seen someone who when he/she smiles a particular tooth stands out cos its very dark and funny looking?
You see many of us assume that because we've always seen a particular deviation in our mouth for a long period of time, we conclude that it's normal. In this case, my friend had a condition we call a "dead tooth". When a tooth is considered "dead" it means the nerve is dead and the supply to that tooth has been cut off. Have you ever seen someone who when he/she smiles a particular tooth stands out cos its very dark and funny looking?
This condition happens mostly to the front teeth (incisors). Soon after it dies, you won't see any difference immediately. It looks like any other tooth. But after a period of time, sometimes years, the tooth starts becoming darker. Uhnnn!
WHAT CAUSES THIS?
TRAUMA
When a tooth gets hit or traumatized. If the blow is severe enough, the tiny blood vessels at the tip of the root can get squashed. This can reduce the blood supply to the nerve inside the tooth root. Or even cut off the blood supply completely.
Without a proper blood supply, the tooth nerve will start to die. Unfortunately, once this process starts, it cannot be stopped or reversed. Sometimes the tooth will become very painful as the nerve dies. This is called pulpitis. Sometimes the nerve can die quietly, without you feeling anything.
When a tooth gets hit or traumatized. If the blow is severe enough, the tiny blood vessels at the tip of the root can get squashed. This can reduce the blood supply to the nerve inside the tooth root. Or even cut off the blood supply completely.
Without a proper blood supply, the tooth nerve will start to die. Unfortunately, once this process starts, it cannot be stopped or reversed. Sometimes the tooth will become very painful as the nerve dies. This is called pulpitis. Sometimes the nerve can die quietly, without you feeling anything.
DECAY
If a tooth gets a cavity and decays, then bacteria in the decay will start to irritate the nerve, causing tooth nerve pain. If you let this go untreated, the bacteria will eventually reach the nerve. The nerve becomes infected. Then it will start to die.
If a tooth gets a cavity and decays, then bacteria in the decay will start to irritate the nerve, causing tooth nerve pain. If you let this go untreated, the bacteria will eventually reach the nerve. The nerve becomes infected. Then it will start to die.
MANY YEARS OF HEAVY USE!
Sometimes a tooth can die if it takes a lot of the "weight" of your bite. Many people clench their teeth at night when they are asleep.
This can put a very heavy load on one or two teeth. The tiny blood vessels at the tip of the root become compressed, reducing the blood supply to the nerve. If this happens very often (ie. every night), and severely enough, the nerve will eventually die.
When a single front tooth is darker than the rest of the teeth, it draws more attention to a smile's imperfection than when all is discolored. This can be very challenging. But then, leaving a dead tooth untreated for a long time is like a time bomb waiting to explode. It could lead to a tooth infection which can in turn lead to a bigger problem.
SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO
There are only two treatments for a dead tooth, one is to have it taken out. ( Of course you know I won't advice you to do that). The other is to save the tooth with a root canal treatment and then you have an option to restore the tooth colour back by either internally whitening the tooth or putting a crown/veneer on it.
There are only two treatments for a dead tooth, one is to have it taken out. ( Of course you know I won't advice you to do that). The other is to save the tooth with a root canal treatment and then you have an option to restore the tooth colour back by either internally whitening the tooth or putting a crown/veneer on it.
"With this few points of mine I hope I have been able to convince and not confuse you that a dark-single or double, abnormally looking teeth is "Not Normal". Lol.
Alright people, more tips will be coming your way soon. Cheers.
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