I have a gray tooth. I’ve been using teeth whitening strips on it, but it’s not working, even sleeping with the strips. It looks like my other teeth are whitening, but not the gray one. Do I need to get professional whitening done to deal with this gray tooth?
Andrew D. – Florida
Andrew,
If you’ve got a gray tooth, it’s likely dying. You may have had a traumatic injury to the tooth. It’s not going to whiten, even with professional teeth whitening. What you’re seeing is the bruising inside the tooth, not staining.
What your tooth needs is a root canal and a crown. The crown can be made to match the rest of your teeth, no matter what their color. So, if you’re happy with the color of the rest of your teeth, you can just have the crown made to match them.
If you’re not happy with the color of your teeth, you can have your dentist whiten them and then have the crown matched to the new color.
Whatever you decide, I wouldn’t wear your whitestrips overnight, unless they’re a brand designed for that. You’re going to end up with gum irritation. Most whitestrips have a time limit of 30 minutes.
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