Whitening a Dead Tooth

At The Courtyard Clinic we frequently get asked why a front tooth is so discoloured. The answer is front teeth are prone to traumatic injuries and if this has unfortunately happened to you or someone you know the tooth has often subsequently died off. A dead tooth takes up either a caramel brown colour or a grey dull colour (which can even show through crowns or veneers as demonstrated in the second photo). It’s one way or the other. There is a cure and the answer is non vital bleaching.

This is where a root canal treatment is performed, or if previously in place it is slightly modified and bleach is put into the back of the tooth. Like magic the tooth lifts in colour from the inside out. Purely bleaching from the outside isn’t strong enough to penetrate this deep staining.