Will teeth whitening work on my darkened root canal treated teeth ? ..internal tooth whitening inside out teeth whitening…
Q. I have always had a lot of problems with my teeth and in the last couple of years, I have had root canal treatment on my front teeth. The treatment has considerably darkened my teeth to the extent where I am now very conscious about smiling or showing my teeth. I am seriously thinking of having my teeth whitened but I am worried because I have heard it can sometimes do more damage and my teeth are not in very good condition as i have quite a few fillings etc. Do teeth have to be in good condition to undergo the whitening process? I am also not sure if the whitening would work because it has been caused by root canal? If you could offer any advice, I would be very grateful. L.
A. Dear L,
When a tooth has root canal treatment it is generally caused by bacterial infection of the tooth, the purpose of root canal treatment is to remove these bacteria. However, if all the infection is not removed or the tooth is not “sealed” completely the tooth can start to darken. The darkening is caused by these bacteria producing brown / black products. Tooth whitening is certainly a wonderful option but before this is done your teeth need to be fully assessed. Sometimes the teeth have to be Re-root canalled to remove the bacteria and then whitening can be carried out. If the root canal treatment is judged to be successful tooth whitening can be carried out straight away. Normally tooth whitening is carried out on the outside surfaces of the teeth only, if these teeth are very dark whiteing gel can be placed inside these teeth to increase the lightening effect this process is called “internal tooth whitening” or “inside /outside whitening” and is very effective. The other option is to have porcealin veneers or crowns on the darkened teeth.
Hope this helps you
When a tooth has root canal treatment it is generally caused by bacterial infection of the tooth, the purpose of root canal treatment is to remove these bacteria. However, if all the infection is not removed or the tooth is not “sealed” completely the tooth can start to darken. The darkening is caused by these bacteria producing brown / black products. Tooth whitening is certainly a wonderful option but before this is done your teeth need to be fully assessed. Sometimes the teeth have to be Re-root canalled to remove the bacteria and then whitening can be carried out. If the root canal treatment is judged to be successful tooth whitening can be carried out straight away. Normally tooth whitening is carried out on the outside surfaces of the teeth only, if these teeth are very dark whiteing gel can be placed inside these teeth to increase the lightening effect this process is called “internal tooth whitening” or “inside /outside whitening” and is very effective. The other option is to have porcealin veneers or crowns on the darkened teeth.
Hope this helps you
Hi very useful article thanks.
One of my front teeth is crowned and has had successful root canal treatment 6 years ago now. However I have a thin dark line at top of crown by my gum. My dentists has said that this is wear gum has receded very slightly. He is suggesting the internal whiting you refer to. He said the process would be to drill a hole at the back of the crown and that I would have to wear a tray just for that tooth with whitening solution in it over say a weekend. He would then fill the back of the crown.
Does that sound about right to you re: the process? Appreciate your advice. I am fed up with this problem and would like to solve it, but concerned about making the root/crown worse or weaker and any side effects from the whitening.
Appreciate any advice you can give please
Thanks
hiya, I had 2 crowns on my front teeth 7 years ago, it has a dark line on the gum, and would like to change them to the the crowns that will not causedark line on the gum. I will also like to whithen my teeth(zoom) and whitefilling on 3 lower teeth please what is the cost for the new crowns and tooth whithening? and filling pls reply asap
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