What to do about a tooth discolored from a root canal treatment

I had a root canal treatment on one of my front upper teeth when I was around 12 years old, I'm 27 now. Today, my tooth is discolored at the top by my gums. I want to fix that tooth and also make sure my other teeth will match in color. Can you fix discoloration from root canals? What would the process be? How about the cost of this procedure. Thank you for your help.

—Corinne from Michigan

Corinne, There are several possible ways to fix discoloration in a root canal tooth. Sometimes internal tooth bleaching can work. Otherwise they need to be bonded, veneered, or crowned. Depending on what needs to be done, I would estimate it would cost $500 to $2000. If it's important to you that it match the other teeth perfectly and not be noticeable, I would go to an expert cosmetic dentist from the list we recommend. It takes a lot of color training for a dentist to match a front tooth crown, and you really need an expert cosmetic dentist for that. I hope this is helpful.

—Dr. Hall

Donnie wonders why put a crown on a dead tooth. Dr. Hall explains why.

This information is provided for you by the mynewsmile.com cosmetic dentist referral service, and was personally written by Dr. David Hall.