A dying tooth may appear yellow, light brown, gray, or even black. It may look almost as if the tooth is bruised. The discoloration will increase over time as the tooth continues to decay and the nerve dies. If you experience any symptoms of a dying tooth, it's important to see your dentist right away.
Signs and Symptoms of Dead Tooth
Generally, some people may not feel any pain at all, while some may experience mild to severe pain. Discoloration can sometimes be one of the first signs of a dead tooth. The color of the tooth may turn to a dark grey shade, yellow, light brown, or even black.
Tooth Sensitivity or Pain – As the nerves that lead to a dying tooth begin to die away, they may become extra sensitive, causing you a tooth ache or sensitivity to hot or cold foods. You may experience pain while chewing at or around the site of the dead tooth.
A dead or dying tooth should be treated quickly because it can become infected and have negative effects on the jaw, gums and other teeth. “Dead tooth” is not always an accurate description. Although the pulp may have died, usually the tooth can be saved with a root canal.
If the tooth is dead, it will often get darker in color, and a person may notice a yellow, gray, or black discoloration. A change in color usually occurs because the red blood cells are dying. This is a very similar effect to bruising.
A dead tooth won't even feel the cold. (A dental x-ray can then be used to confirm the dead tooth). The reason it is so important to do something about a dead tooth is that dead teeth have no circulation inside them. This allows bacteria to multiply inside the dead tooth and your body's immune system can't stop it.
A root canal is the only way to save a dead tooth and involves removing the pulp and cleaning the site to prevent infections. Once the pulp has been removed and the area thoroughly cleansed, a filling will be placed in the opening and the roots will be sealed. Extraction.
Will a Dead Tooth Fall Out on its Own? It is important to remember that it can take months or years for a tooth to die. Once a tooth is non-vital, it will eventually fall out, but this process is not one that can be predicted in advance. It is much better to see your dentist and get treatment for a dead tooth.
A dead tooth can stay in the mouth for days, or even months.
You'll likely experience intense pain once the decay has reached the pulp. A dying tooth may be identified during a routine dental appointment that includes X-rays.
Finally, the third most common sign of a dying tooth is infection. When your tooth is dead, it can't fight off bacteria.
Eventually, that's what happens when a tooth dies, but it's not a good idea to wait that long to seek treatment. When you have a dead nerve in your tooth and it's no longer viable, it's still possible to develop an infection that can spread to other teeth and your jaw.
The tooth hurts a lot for 3-4 days, then this pain slowly subsides. This is the phase when the nerve of the tooth dies. You no longer notice the tooth after 3-4 days of the pain sensation because the nerve has now died.
Left untreated, the pulp dies. Rampant tooth decay can also result in the pulp and nerve tissues dying off. When bacteria spread into the root cavity, the natural inflammatory response ends up adding pressure, which eventually cuts off the blood supply.
People believe a root canal is a painful process. This is the biggest myth ever. Generally, we use anaesthetic in a root canal procedure, even in cases where the tooth is dead.
A dead or dying tooth left in the mouth may not do a whole lot of immediate damage right off the bat, but leaving it in for too long can cause other teeth to rot and even cause problems and unwanted issues with your jaw.
While a root canal on a front tooth will cost around $1,000 on average, a root canal on a bicuspid tooth may cost around $1,100. The molars in the back of the mouth are usually most expensive for root canals, with an average cost of $1,300 to $1,600.
What is a “Dead Tooth?” When a single tooth changes to become grey in color, you may have a condition known as a necrotic pulp. The pulp is the collection of nerves and blood vessels residing within the hollow chamber of each tooth. It is this pulp tissue that “dies” and most often causes color changes.
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.
As long as the tooth doesn't become infected, it will fall out when the child gets older, and a healthy adult tooth will grow in its place. In some cases, however, the pulp inside the tooth dies as a result of the trauma and caused the tooth to become abscessed.
Dentinogenesis Imperfecta
This is a rare, hereditary disorder of tooth development that can make baby and permanent teeth appear blue or gray. This condition also weakens the teeth, making them more prone to damage.
The biggest factor a dentist looks at when deciding if a tooth can be saved is how much “good” tooth structure there is left. If the tooth is broken at the gumline and has a big cavity that goes down to the bone then there is little hope that the tooth can be saved.