Your smile is one of your biggest sources of personal pride and joy; after all, your pearly whites are the secret to making great and memorable first impressions! But what should you do if your teeth aren’t looking very bright and white these days? Unfortunately, there are many reasons for tooth discoloration—and sometimes the result isn’t a brown- or yellow-tinted smile but rather, gray or even blue discoloration. Here’s more from your dentist about why teeth can sometimes turn gray and how you should go about addressing the issue.
Possible Explanations for Gray Tooth Discoloration
The cause of tooth discoloration is rarely obvious, and a few possible explanations for your pearly whites turning a shade of gray include:
- Old age – Sometimes simply becoming older can cause your teeth to gradually darken and turn gray.
- Trauma – When blood flow to a tooth is cut off, the tooth can die and turn gray. Gray staining can also develop much later than when the trauma was suffered, sometimes even months or years after the injury.
- Tooth decay – This can also cut off the tooth’s blood flow and cause it to turn gray and die.
- Dental restorations – Sometimes the materials used to fill in cavities or restore damaged teeth can lead to odd discoloration.
- Tetracycline or other medications – This antibiotic can turn children’s teeth grey. Other medications, even ones used in root canal therapy (Ledermix and Ultracal XS) might also cause gray or brownish staining.
- Dentinogenesis imperfecta – This is a rare hereditary disorder that can cause your baby and permanent teeth to turn blue or gray, in addition to making them much more fragile.
How Your Dentist Can Assist with Tooth Discoloration
In order to treat gray teeth, you must first visit your dentist, as they’re the most qualified person for determining the cause of your discoloration. They can examine your teeth and gums and take X-rays if necessary to identify potentially hard-to-detect issues. There are several options for addressing discoloration, but it’s heavily dependent on what caused it. Professional whitening carried out by your dentist is one effective method, but sometimes other means such as veneers can be employed.
While store-bought whitening treatments generally work best on yellow or brown teeth, rather than gray teeth, you might find some success with things like whitening strips, whitening toothpaste, and natural whiteners like baking soda.
No amount of wishful thinking will whiten your teeth, especially if they’ve turned gray for reasons beyond your control or unknown to you. Fortunately, you aren’t entirely helpless, and your dentist will be able to help get your smile back to looking its best.
About the Practice
Ponte Vedra Complete Dentistry is thrilled to provide an exceptional level of dental care to patients and families in the Ponte Vedra Beach area. Under the expert leadership of Dr. Kristopher R. Harth and Dr. Eric L. Townsend, their practice is proud to offer a wide range of preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatment options. If you have any questions about the article or would like to arrange a visit, feel free to contact the practice online or by phone for additional information: (904) 285-7711.