Will my Darkened Tooth Get Better on Its Own?

Question

I was hit in the mouth two weeks ago and one of my front teeth was knocked very slightly back. I could not close my mouth all the way for a week and even now I find it uncomfortable to bite down on food. The tooth is just a little bit darker than my other teeth. I have no insurance or money to go to the dentist. Will teeth like this heal on their own? Will they rewhiten or stop being sensative after time? I know I should go to the dentist, but I can't. So, what are my chances of self-healing?

Mauricio C. Tijerino, DMD · Answer

The tooth may eventually get to the point where it is no longer sensitive to touch or temperature, and it may even return to its original position, however the color will NOT get better. In fact, it will likely get darker over time. This is due to what is essentially a bruise in the tooth, but unlike on the skin (which goes away), in a tooth the bruised color stains the hard tooth structure (dentin) from the inside and it stays that way since there is not circulation to clean it away. The nerve may have died or may die, and this further darkens the tooth from the inside.

	Long term the tooth may 1) do nothing and just stay dark 2) become abscessed (may or may not hurt) 3) become ankylosed or develop root resorption.

	The fact that you could not close your mouth for a while probably means you had some inflammation to the lower jaw joint or muscles ( TMJ ).

	My advice is to see a dentist for an X-ray and evaluation, even if you decide to do no treatment. They should test the tooth to see if the nerve is dead or alive. You could decide to just follow up every 6-12 months to see if there are any changes.

	If there are changes (more darkening, X-ray changes, etc), just know that delaying treatment may make things more difficult to treat later. Treatment many times involves root canal therapy and whitening the tooth from the inside (internal bleaching). I would not recommend a crown since this will weaken the tooth. At most a veneer could be done if the internal bleaching is not successfull.

	Hope this helps

	Dr. T

Keith Blankenship, DDS · Answer

Your darkened tooth is probably due to some sort of trauma that may have occurred some time ago.  The bolld inside the tooth has brken down into iron which is a dark color.  Unfortunately the darkness will not go away on its own. You may very well need a root canal as well.  By the way, today, root canals are very easy to perform and will most likely be one of the easiest procedures you will ahve done.  Very easy and painless for the most part.  You do not however want to wait for great deals of time because if the tooth is abscessed then it can turn into a bad situation for you.  The tooth can be easily belached and most effectively from the inside of the tooth if a root canal is performed.  Please see an endodontist in your area.

Leonard Tau, DMD · Answer

Unfortunately based on what you have said and the color of the tooth, you really do need to see the dentist.  The tooth may be fractured and based on the color it could be abscessed.  I would recommend you call a dentist as soon as possible,

Will my Darkened Tooth Get Better on Its Own?

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Will my Darkened Tooth Get Better on Its Own?

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