My smile is good except my right front tooth is turning brown. It may have gotten bumped when I was a child but I do not recall. It is not painful. It is solid and fine…just slowly dying. What would be the best procedure to take care of this problem do you think? I don’t smile as much due to the fact it has gotten darker. Dentists here want to do a root canal and cap but that seems a bit extreme. It’s not infected and does not hurt.
Thank you for your time,
– Vicki from California
Vicki,
If your tooth is fine and not infected, then there is no reason to have a root canal treatment. When a tooth is bumped hard enough, it can sever its blood supply, and it will die, develop an abscess, and turn dark. It will need a root canal. But if it’s bumped lightly, often it will later develop thicker dentin and will look dark but will be perfectly healthy.
If the tooth is healthy, it just needs some type of veneer to change the color. But the degree of color manipulation required for a single tooth is difficult for about 98% of dentists. If the dentist is artistic enough, often he or she will prefer to use direct dental bonding, because that way you can see the color as you go. Or, a single porcelain veneer works excellently for this situation also, with the porcelain veneer made by a dental laboratory.
But don’t go to the dentist on the corner for this – the color matching required is too difficult. I’d recommend one of the cosmetic dentists on our list, because they are screened for artistic ability.
I’d expect to pay $1300 to $2000 to get this done right.
– Dr. Hall
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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