Falling and damaging teeth is common, especially for kids but also at times with adults. An impact can damage the pulp, an area inside your tooth, which consists of blood vessels and the nerve. The damaged blood vessels bleed and darken the tooth color. Sometimes the discoloration only lasts a short time, and the body repairs the damaged blood vessels and nerves. When repair occurs, the tooth generally restores to its natural color. However, if the body can’t repair the pulp, your tooth remains dark.
There are several approaches we can take to handle the problem. Sometimes we can do a root canal, which is a process that removes the nerve and dead pulp. Afterward we may be able to restore the color of your tooth through whitening. However, more often the best way to go is to give you a veneer or a crown.
A veneer is a wafer thin shell that covers the front surface of your tooth. Veneers change the color, shape, size or length of the appearance of your tooth. Dentists bond the veneer to the front of the tooth using an adhesive material. Veneers are usually either made from porcelain or resin materials.
Crowns are fixtures that are permanently cemented to your teeth or implants, and they look like an actual tooth.
If you or your child has injured a tooth that turned a darker color, come and see us. At Hutto Hippo Family Dental, we can look at the tooth, take x-rays and help you decide the best way to go.
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