Yellowed teeth due to aging, drinking staining beverages, or using nicotine are known as extrinsic staining. It happens when the enamel becomes discolored due to external factors. Extrinsic stains typically respond well to over-the-counter teeth whitening products and professional teeth bleaching.
However, if conventional teeth whitening products haven’t brightened your teeth, you may be dealing with intrinsic staining. Intrinsic stains are on the inside of your tooth. Unfortunately, that means no amount of external whitening products can reach the source of the discoloration.
Because of that, our team, led by expert endodontist Robert Scott Nance, DDS, MS, PA, at his practices in Statesville and Hickory, North Carolina, offers internal bleaching. This treatment can eliminate the source of the stain from the inside out, leaving you with a radiant smile.
This month’s blog explores the causes of intrinsic staining that internal bleaching can treat and how the bleaching process works.
When you have a cavity or crack in your tooth, it provides a way for bacteria to enter it and infect the pulp — the inner chamber of your tooth that contains nerves and blood vessels. If left untreated, the inner tissues can become severely damaged, and the blood supply to the tooth is cut off.
These nerves and blood vessels keep your tooth alive. If the infection severely damages the pulp, your tooth can die and become discolored. Severe dental trauma can also damage the pulp, resulting in discoloration.
The only way to save teeth that have severe pulp infections is through a root canal. A root canal cleans the infected and dead tissues and seals the inside of the tooth with dental cement to prevent further damage.
However, sometimes the damage to the tooth is so severe that the natural color won’t return. The sealant used during a root canal can also stain the inside of your tooth.
Internal bleaching is an endodontic procedure and must be performed by an endodontist such as Dr. Nance.
In many cases, Dr. Nance can combine internal bleaching with your root canal treatment. He simply removes all the discoloring debris before placing a sodium perborate paste inside the tooth. The paste reacts with the stains and slowly whitens them.
Dr. Nance performs X-rays and any other necessary screenings before the procedure. If you qualify for internal bleaching after a root canal, Dr. Nance makes a small hole in your tooth where he inserts the sodium perborate paste.
If your tooth is discolored from pulp damage or root canal therapy, internal bleaching might be just what you need. Learn more about this treatment or schedule a consultation by calling your nearest office location today.
