Most of the time,
It is not uncommon for tooth decay to develop beneath older crowns due to a breakdown in the bond or sealant after years of biting or chewing food. Dr. Knight will remove the existing crown to clean out the current tooth decay, replacing it with a new one once the tooth is fully healed and healthy again.
Brown and grey spots show up on the tooth material around a crown where pearly whites should be. These spots indicate tooth decay, which can be the culprit of nerve damage. Decay under crowns starts with a buildup of a sticky yellow plaque film.
A crown is connected to a natural tooth underneath it. Because of this, decay can form around the edges of a crown. The only way to permanently fix a crown with decay around the edges is to remove the old crown, remove the decay, and do a new crown.
If your child's tooth starts turning black or grey and they're experiencing pain in or around the tooth, you should make an appointment with a children's dentist right away. The sooner it's treated, the more likely it is that the tooth can be saved.
A dead nerve in a tooth is sometimes referred to as a necrotic pulp or a pulpless tooth. Once this happens, the tooth will eventually fall out by itself. However, it can be dangerous to wait for this to occur, as the tooth can become infected and affect the jaw and other teeth.
Treatment for a Darkening Tooth
If your tooth is not decayed or infected and there is no other diagnosis for it, a cosmetic dentist can conceal the darkness with a porcelain veneer or composite bonding. An otherwise healthy tooth would not require extraction and a dental implant.
If you do have one before having your tooth it crowned, the nerve inside the tooth will be dead and will not transmit any pain. Otherwise, you will still be able to feel the tooth as usual.
Redness and tenderness around the crown. Swollen or sore gums surrounding the crown. A constant sensation of warmth on one side of your mouth. Yellow, clear or greenish discharge near the crown.
Additionally, X-rays pass directly through porcelain, meaning that when patients receive X-rays on porcelain crowns, dentists can actually see what is occurring underneath the crown and diagnose potential problems before they destroy unnecessary tooth structure and potentially cause root canals.
How You Can Tell if There is Decay Under Your Crown. If the affected area is quite small, it can be hard to detect any cavities or decay underneath it. To determine this, the dentist will usually use an x-ray. It will be up to him or her to know whether the teeth underneath are rotten or has any damage.
The crown might look like a hat sitting on a hat rack, rather than a natural, secure fit. The crown is too tight between teeth, or doesn't make correct contact with surrounding teeth, causing food impaction and decay issues.
A dead tooth can stay in your mouth for up to several days or months; however, keeping a dead tooth may lead to problems with your jaw and also result in the spreading of decay and bacteria to other teeth. Most dentists will recommend having the dead tooth extracted and replaced with a denture, bridge, or implant.
Avoiding decay
The most effective way to keep the tooth under a dental crown healthy and strong is to brush and floss. People of all ages should brush at least twice a day and floss daily to maintain good oral health. People who have crowns should focus on brushing gently at the base of the crown.
Patients with a dental crown as part of an implant should use a soft-bristled toothbrush no less than twice a day. As for the type of toothpaste, it is important to select a non-abrasive formula. The individual needs to brush around and under the dental crown as much as possible.
Crown removal is not a painful procedure, and it doesn't take long for your dentist to remove it. Your dentist will not even use an anesthetic to remove and add in the permanent crown.
The short answer is yes. Crowns can be damaged over time because of trauma to the mouth or chewing on hard things. The long answer is when a crown gets damaged, bacteria will easily get past it and get to the real tooth underneath.
In most cases, a black line forms because the metal from the crown is showing through. Since older dental crowns are typically made of porcelain fused to metal, the metal will eventually become exposed as the gumline moves and recedes over time.
Oral bacteria are tricky little rascals, and they can make their way underneath a crown, particularly if the person does not have good oral hygiene. When these bacteria get underneath the crown, they begin to convert any sugars that make their way into the crown to acids that eat away at enamel.
If you notice a visible crack in your tooth beneath your crown, there's a good chance it extends below the gum line into the root. Cracks like these are often untreatable, requiring extraction and replacement of the tooth. Your dentist can assess the tooth and the crack to determine if treatment would be effective.
Rotten teeth: A cracked or broken tooth can rot from the inside, which will make it turn black. The black appearance occurs due to the decomposition within the tooth itself. If you have a rotten tooth you will require a root canal. Root canal treatments do not cause a tooth to turn black.
The tooth may also appear black when damage occurs from the inside. The most common causes of black teeth in these cases are decay or cavities. For example, a tooth with a pulp infection or a dead tooth may turn black. The damage starts on the inside and works its way to the surface.
A Darkened or Discolored Tooth:
While some tooth discoloration is common, and can be amended with a teeth whitening treatment, having a severely discolored tooth is indicative of severe tooth decay or the breakdown of internal tissue and might be a sign that root canal treatment is needed.
A dead tooth in your mouth is best removed as soon as possible because if left untreated, the bacteria from the dead tooth affect your jaws and cause additional tooth loss. The bacteria can also affect your jawbone and gums.
One of the main causes of a gray or black tooth is decay, which can develop as excess tartar and plaque build up over time. Fortunately, tooth decay can be reversible in the early stages, but can cause permanent damage to the tooth when it becomes more progressed and causes the tooth to turn black.