I’ve had a tooth that has gradually been turning dark over the last five years. My dentist said a root canal treatment may be needed. While there is no infection there is a possible fracture. I don’t know if I should go ahead and have the root canal treatment or just do cosmetic work to repair the graying tooth and only worry about the root canal treatment if it becomes absolutely necessary or if I should just bite the bullet and do the root canal and get it over with. One thing my dentist mentioned is that I would need bonding on several teeth in order to make them look uniform. In that case, would it be better to get porcelain veneers?
Laura
Dear Laura,
I am going to be quite blunt here and say that you are not in the hands of the best dentist. Let’s start with the root canal treatment. Either the tooth is infected and you need one or it isn’t and you don’t. You said there was no infection, just a possible fracture. With a fracture, you would not want to do a root canal treatment, which could lead to leaking.
Bear in mind that I haven’t examined you, but given your description of the darkening happening over a period of years, I think you’re dealing with the aftermath of trauma that happened to the tooth several years ago. Over time, your body builds up defenses in the tooth which creates a secondary layer of dentin making the tooth look darker.
The solution to this is cosmetic. You can either do dental bonding or a porcelain veneer. The veneer will be more expensive but has the benefit of lasting longer. With either one you will need an expert cosmetic dentist and I will be honest that your dentist is not going to fit that bill. I know that because of his comment that you’d have to do several teeth to get them to look uniform. That is not the case when you have an expert cosmetic dentist. And with someone who is not an expert, just because they are uniform does not mean they are beautiful. My recommendation is you look for an AACD accredited dentist to do this work for you.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.