I have a dark front tooth can I whiten it?

A dark, discoloured, black tooth is a sign your tooth may have died or is partially dead, most likely due to previous trauma (accident some time ago) or deep decay which leads the nerve to die over time. The cause of the discolouration is thought to be decomposing blood products from the pulp inside the tooth which are permanent, and will not go back to their original colour. Sometimes a tooth that has been treated with root canal therapy will turn grey.

Dark tooth treatment will involve initially undergoing root canal treatment if the tooth has not already been treated. This procedure is when the root canal chamber containing the nerve is emptied and disinfected, and a rubber filling is packed tightly inside the canal. There are two methods of restoring the tooth colour of the black tooth: either by internal tooth bleaching or by placing a veneer on the tooth.

In the Internal tooth bleaching (also called “Walking Bleach Technique” ) procedure, a small hole is made in the tooth (along the surface of the tooth that is near to your palate or tongue) and whitening gel is applied inside of the tooth. A temporary filling is placed and you leave the office with the bleach in place for three to five days. After that time period, if the tooth has lightened to the desired shade, the temporary filling and bleach are removed and replaced with a permanent restoration. Or, the process may be repeated a second time.

Very often, living tooths may show dark colour, in such cases does not need a root canal and the dentist can design a single-tooth bleaching tray that will keep the bleach away from your other teeth, in order to create the best colour match. Once the dark tooth matches the rest of the teeth, that may provide the best cosmetic outcome. If the single dark tooth becomes lighter than the unbleached (other) teeth, then all the teeth can be carefully whitened together if needed.