Black teeth can be a concern for many people; a black tooth will affect your smile and impact on your confidence. If you have a black tooth, read on to find out more about the symptoms and causes and treatments that may be available.
What causes a black tooth?
There are many reasons why a tooth can begin to go black, anything from simple staining to the death of the tooth can cause blackness and darkening.
Poor oral hygiene
Poor oral hygiene can cause your tooth to go black. according to this expert dentist in Santan Valley. In the early stages this is likely to be staining from substances like tobacco, red wine and strongly coloured food. Your tooth will start to decay if your oral hygiene routine does not include enough time to eliminate the acid-excreting bacteria.
As the tooth gets eaten away, tooth decay sets in. Tooth decay naturally looks black and can give the appearance of a black tooth. This gives the look of rotten teeth and is a classic result of not looking after your teeth for a considerable period of time.
The death of a tooth
When a tooth dies, the blood supply – which gives the tooth its natural, healthy colour – will stop. Because the tooth is not receiving the nutrients it needs, it will begin to necrotise, darken, die and slowly go black.
My root canal will cause my tooth to turn black.
It is a common misconception that a root canal treatment will make a tooth black. Teeth will often go black before root canal treatment as the tooth rots and decomposes on the inside. If root canal treatment is done well, all of the decomposing tissue will be removed and the blackness will not get worse. There may, however, be some mild darkening of the tooth after a root canal, depending on exactly how the root canal treatment is done and with which material.
What is the time it takes for a tooth become black?
Blackness can occur over many years if the root cause is tooth decay. If the cause of the blackness is due to trauma, as soon as the blood supply has been cut off from the tooth, the internal tooth tissue will begin to die and turn black.
What happens to a tooth that is dead?
If a dead tooth is left untreated, it will go black as the internal tooth tissue dies and decomposes. The tooth that has been treated with a tooth-colour treatment may turn slightly darker if it is not completely black.
My chipped tooth will it turn black?
The only thing that will make your chipped tooth go black is if it is in the enamel, which is the hard outer layer of the tooth. It is not necessary to consult a dentist right away. Instead, make an appointment as soon as possible to discuss ways to repair the problem.
If the chip in your tooth goes through the enamel and into the dentine (the softer part of your tooth) then the dentine may pick up stains more readily and go dark. The dentine is more susceptible to decay, which can lead to a darkened tooth. If you feel pain, you should consult a dentist.
If the chip goes all the way through the enamel, dentine and down to the pulp (the living blood supply part of your tooth) this will more than likely be extremely painful and you may even see blood from the chip. If this is left untreated, not only could you be in extreme pain but the tooth could begin to die and will almost certainly go black. You will need to see an emergency dentist as soon as possible.
What happens if I knock or hit my tooth?
It will not go black if the tooth has been hit or knocked. However, if the tooth is hit so hard that it damages the blood supply, it may become black. If you have hit your tooth and there is bleeding around the gum margin, we recommend you visit an emergency dentist to have an assessment.
Treatments for a black tooth
Black spots on teeth can be treated quite simply, these can often be caused by a small pit or chip in the tooth which either picks up staining or has a small amount of decay. Your dentist can usually remove a small amount of tooth around this area, removing the staining and/or decay and placing a some tooth-coloured bonding material over this area. The tooth bonding will blend seamlessly with your existing teeth, making it virtually invisible.
Black Dental bonding can also be used to treat lines on teeth. If the black line on the tooth is at the gum margin and you have a dental restoration such as a veneer or {“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“42b7700c-8ad8-4bd0-a4f3-1cbf621593c8″],”srcRootClientId”:””}crown.
Dead tooth whitening is also possible. This is whitening with a peroxide gel which can whiten teeth significantly; however, sometimes teeth whitening alone is not enough to whiten a dead tooth and some form of restorative option needs to be considered, either a dental veneer or a dental crown.
