Grey Teeth: 5 Causes and Effective Solutions

Though most people desire a dazzling white smile, not everyone has been blessed with one.

Discoloration may occur for various reasons and individuals must visit a dentist so that the root cause can be identified and resolved quickly.

Trauma can disrupt blood flow to a tooth, leading it to die and turn gray. Certain medications like Tetracycline and Ledermix may also stain teeth.

Causes

Tooth decay is one of the primary factors leading to grey teeth. Once decayed, its pulp – an innermost layer that connects the blood supply to each tooth – dies off, cutting off circulation. Treat this as a medical emergency immediately!

Dental trauma may also contribute to discolored, grey teeth. Falls, blows to the mouth or even chewing hard objects such as an apple can damage a tooth’s enamel and nerves resulting in a dead tooth that won’t respond as easily to improved oral hygiene, professional teeth cleanings or bleaching treatments as other discolored ones would.

Medication may also cause tooth discoloration. Tetracycline antibiotics have long been recognized to attach themselves to developing teeth and cause them to appear blue or gray in hue.

Because of this effect, doctors no longer recommend giving tetracycline as an oral treatment to children or pregnant women.

Dental restorations such as metal crowns or silver fillings may cause your teeth to turn grey in color, leading to discoloration.

Replacement with tooth-colored restorations may help correct this discoloration, while age spots or mild fluorosis stains can often be lightened with teeth-whitening treatments.

A dentist will be able to pinpoint the exact source of discoloration and recommend suitable solutions; gray or black teeth without symptoms should be treated as dental emergencies and seeking immediate assistance from a local clinic is advised.

Treatment

If your teeth suddenly or dramatically turn grey, you must visit a dentist immediately.

A tooth can change color due to various causes such as dental restorations (like silver amalgam), age, trauma, or serious decay; dentinogenesis imperfect causes blue-gray enamel that appears brittle; dying teeth often hemorrhage into gray enamel that leads to infection spreading throughout other teeth;

An impending tooth death should be addressed quickly to avoid pain and further health problems.

A root canal treatment or extraction may still save it; otherwise, it should be extracted and either replaced by bridgework or implants as soon as possible.

Teeth that are not dying can be brightened using in-home or professional whitening treatments, though this will only serve to cover up discoloration.

Depending on its cause, other solutions like dental crowns or veneers may be more effective; treating any health conditions that contribute to discoloration will also improve their appearance; in cases of an infection, a root canal or extraction will remove dead tissue and help stop further spread of infection.

Prevention

Tooth decay is often to blame for gray teeth as it discolors both enamel and dentin, as well as leading to nerve death within a tooth, leading to discolored and greyed-looking enamel and dentin.

But, tooth whitening can reverse this discoloration by eliminating surface staining from teeth surface thereby making them appear brighter than before.

Teeth discoloration may result from taking certain medications or consuming acidic food and beverages that damage enamel.

Ageing also plays a factor, often more so among older adults. Teeth whitening treatments may reverse this problem but for best results, it is wise to visit a dentist who will be able to tailor treatment specifically to meet your dental needs.

Seeing grey spots on teeth should prompt immediate dental consultation as this could indicate that one is dying and spreading bacteria to surrounding ones.

Root canal or extraction treatments for dying teeth will clear infection while saving remaining parts; but may leave outer surfaces stained greyish which teeth whitening could address, though other solutions such as crowns might prove more effective.

Conclusions

Teeth discoloration is more than just cosmetic; it may also indicate certain dental or medical problems.

Therefore, it’s vital to visit a professional for proper diagnosis and treatment plan planning.

Sometimes the color of teeth may change due to internal staining, which could be the result of poor oral hygiene, diet, medication use, or health conditions.

Your dentist can recommend effective solutions for both extrinsic and intrinsic stains.

Trauma-related tertiary dentine formation, commonly referred to as Shields’ Dentine Dysplasia Type I, is another cause of gray teeth.

It manifests with abnormal tooth structures that feature yellowish-gray hues.

Grey teeth may also be caused by leaky fillings or older metallic restorations that appear dark brown or black on surrounding enamel and indicate tooth decay.

Your dentist can replace old fillings with more modern filling materials that suit the tooth better – including more tooth-colored resin fillings that fit the exact specifications of each tooth.

Deceased tooth pulp can also cause its teeth to turn grey due to necrosis – similar to how when other tissues die they turn black.