Is There a Whitening Option for a Dead Front Tooth That Does Not Need a Root Canal?

If it IS "dead" then it DOES need root canal therapy. What is likely is Calcific Metamorphosis, so no, RCT is not needed. But the tooth is dark and won't respond to bleaching.  Suggest a veneer instead of a crown. Two to three visits (matching may be a challenge, requiring an extra visit). 

Marley,

Normally we would perform a root canal on the tooth and bleach it internally.  The problem is  the discoloration is coming from inside the tooth, so conventional bleaching typically does not help. Since there is no pulp chamber present you have basically 2 options.  Create a new pulp chamber space and attempt to bleach it internally.  The only other option is to mask out the discoloration with porcelain (veneer).  This options requires a skilled lab and a lot of communication between the lab and the Dr.

In my opinion, the most predictable option would be to veneer the tooth.

Hope this helps,

Dr John Schmid DDS LVIF

You can try take home tray teeth bleaching trays, but just place the whitening gel in the one tooth that you are wanting to whiten.  If you place the gel in the whole tray all the teeth will get whiter, but the dark tooth will still remain darker than the others.  It may take literally months to get it whiter and no guarantee that the results will make it identical to the other teeth.

A much more predictable approach is to do a porcelain veneer on the single tooth to match your other tooth.

Advise consulting with a cosmetic dentist who has considerable experience with both tooth whitening and porcelain veneering.