Single dark tooth (dead tooth)

Why is my tooth becoming darker than the others?

A tooth tends to go dark when the nerve inside the tooth is dying, which can happen for several reasons:

• Tooth decay / deep fillings

• Cracks and fractures in the tooth

• Trauma (impact such as falling over or sports injuries)

Some teeth may take several years before showing any signs of nerve death following trauma. If you notice a tooth going dark in your 30's, it could have been an injury you had as a child that caused it.

What does this mean for me?

The dead tooth will continue to discolour over time and get darker. As the nerve dies, it releases chemicals that make your tooth look dark.

The nerve in the tooth can also become infected and cause an abscess which is painful swellings around the root of the tooth.

If you leave a dead tooth untreated, you increase the risk of that tooth causing you pain and needing to be removed in the future.

What can I do about the dead tooth?

Leave it alone

If it doesn't bother you, you could leave the tooth as it is. Make sure you see a dentist who will monitor the tooth closely by:

• Checking for signs of decay, cracks and fractures

• Taking regular x-rays (once a year) to look for infections and abscesses

• Taking pictures and shade measurements of the tooth to see how the colour is changing over time

Root canal filling to remove the nerve (step 1)

The first stage of treating the tooth involves removing the dead nerve from the tooth (root canal filling).

The root canal filling is usually done in 1 appointment (for a front tooth). Sometimes it may take a second appointment if your dentist wants to spend more time cleaning the nerve space.

Inside-out whitening to improve the colour of the dead tooth (step 2)

Inside-out whitening is a specific whitening technique used by dentists to whiten dead teeth after a root canal filling. The process involves whitening the dead tooth using regular whitening trays and placing whitening gel inside the tooth where the nerve used to be. You will be doing the whitening at home for one week.

Whitening the rest of the teeth (step 3)

Once the Dead tooth is as white as possible, you can then whiten the rest of your teeth so that they match the colour of the dead tooth (2-4 weeks). Doing the whitening in this order ensures that all of your teeth match, and you don't end up whitening the rest of your teeth more than the dead tooth.

The total cost of treating a dark tooth including the root canal filling and whitening can start from around £950.

Other options for the dead tooth

Most dead teeth can be treated with inside-out whitening, however, if the tooth is too dark for whitening to work you may need to consider a more invasive restoration such as a veneer or a crown.

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