Expert: Frederick R. Liewehr DDS, MS, FICD - 11/5/2009

Question
Hi,
I had an accident over a month ago on one of my front teeth, i went to the dentist who did x rays and said to keep an eye on the tooth, it eventually went a grayish colour and has become sensitive to hot and cold and feels sore if i touch it. I am having a root canal next Thursday and i am terrified that my tooth will go black, my dentist recommended that i have a crown but i will have to wait from 11th November until mid January to get a crown fitted, looking on the Internet some people say that having the root canal will improve the look of the tooth and other people say not? I just don't want to have a black tooth for all that time, I'm also worried that the crown will look really different to my other front tooth, any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you very much.
Rebecca UK

Answer
Gray or black discoloration is caused by the pulp ("nerve") dying and disintegrating inside your hollow tooth. It is the hemin in the blood that causes the discoloration. This material is removed as part of the root canal therapy, and any residual discoloration can be bleached internally before the tooth is restored to return the color to normal. I would not get a crown unless the tooth was badly broken for many reasons, not the least of which is that it will probably always be obvious that you have a crown on the tooth.