My left incisor was pushed back in my mouth quite a few years ago thanks to an accident. An oral surgeon put it back in place but it has always been discolored and had a slightly receded gum. Recently, I’d asked my dentist about getting some teeth whitening done and he suggested Crest Whitestrips. I tried them. After about a week, the darkened tooth started to ache. I stopped using them a week ago, the but tooth still hurts. In addition, it is sensitive to both hot and cold. It is not pressure-sensitive. I went in to see my dentist and he thinks the tooth now needs a root canal treatment. Do you think he’s right? Did the Whitestrips cause this?
First, you should know that teeth whitening was not the right solution for you. The graying of this tooth was due to the injury and not from staining. Right off the bat, I feel like your dentist has a fundamental gap in some very basic cosmetic dentistry procedures. In reality, had you stuck with the teeth whitening, this would have made the graying tooth look worse because the rest of the teeth would have whitened but not this one.
Your situation is interesting. Under normal circumstances, I would not have considered someone at risk using Crest Whitestrips. The whitening gel is simply too weak. However, there are a few things that make me think your situation was different. First, the tooth was traumatized and you mention the gum had receded. This exposes some things that would not otherwise had been exposed, which makes the tooth more vulnerable.
Combine that with your symptoms and I would say, yes, you do need a root canal treatment. The sensitivity to cold indicated the tooth is irritated. You knew that. The sensitivity to heat indicates it will not heal on its own. I would get the root canal treatment.
To fix the color on the tooth will require some more advanced cosmetic dentistry. I do not feel your dentist is qualified. You will want to go somewhere else and get a consultation on this. Be certain to check out their smile gallery, though, to make sure they do beautiful cosmetic work.
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