Some times, when a front tooth dies off it can darken and ruin an otherwise attractive smile. Previously the only way to improve the appearance of the tooth was to cut it down and cover it with a porcelain crown or a veneer. This worked OK but was destructive to the tooth, leaving it weakened and prone to fracture.
Fortunately, newer techniques using whitening gels allow us to lighten the tooth colour so leaving it natural looking and much stronger than if it had been crowned. The two cases below show the sorts of results we can achieve using this internal whitening approach.
In both cases it was necessary to redo the root canal filling as there was infection present under each tooth. The technique was the same for each case and involved the patient using a whitening gel in a close fitting mouth guard for 5 days, worn each night and as much as possible during the day. A small access cavity was left open in the back of the tooth, which allows the patient to place the gel inside the tooth each time, so maximising the whitening effect. At the end of the five days the cavity is refilled and the tooth left in it’s otherwise natural state.
This very dark tooth would need to be very heavily drilled if it was to be covered by a crown or veneer.
The root canal filling was of poor quality and needed replacing.
Once the root canal filling was replaced the access cavity was left open to allow internal whitening.
At the end of the five days the cavity was resealed and the tooth was fully whitened
The following case used exactly the same technique and was an extremely rewarding result as it saved the patient from having very surgical enhancement if the tooth had been lost.
The dark tooth really detracted from an otherwise lovely smile. Again the root filling need replacing first.
The result took five days to achieve and has left the patient feeling much more confident about her smile.
If you would like to know more about the techniques used here, then please call the surgery on 01580 752202 and speak to our treatment co-ordinator Victoria Eaton.
