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What if you could replace a lost tooth with your own tooth?
A tooth that has darkened can be lightened from the inside out. Our specialist endodontists in Sydney assess the tooth first, then treat it over a few short visits.
If one of your front teeth has turned grey or brown following treatment.
Discolouration from the inside is common after endodontic treatment, and it doesn’t mean the root canal failed. Internal bleaching lightens the tooth from within, through the same access point the original treatment used, and for most people the result blends in with the teeth on either side.
Dentists call it walking bleach/internal bleaching. The bleaching agent goes inside the tooth, not on it. A bleaching agent is sealed inside the tooth and left to work over several days, then changed until the shade matches its neighbours.
It treats one tooth at a time. It isn’t whitening for your whole smile, and it only works on a tooth that has already had root canal treatment.
The colour change starts inside the tooth. That’s why nothing you put on the outside will shift it.
Blood breakdown products soak into the dentine after the pulp is removed. This is the most common reason. Old filling or sealer materials left in the crown portion of the tooth. Loss of the living pulp, which changes how light passes through the tooth. Front teeth show it most, simply because they’re the ones people see. Teeth treated after a knock or a cracked tooth tend to darken more often, because there was more bleeding inside the tooth to begin with.
The agent does its work between appointments, so the visits themselves are short.
The stain sits deep in the dentine. Strips and take-home trays only reach the enamel on the outside, so they physically can’t get to it.
There’s a second problem. Whitening the healthy teeth on either side lightens them too, which makes the dark tooth stand out more than it did before you started.
Many teeth hold their new shade for years. Some drift back gradually and need a top-up later.
A well-sealed final restoration helps, because nothing can seep back in. So does turning up to your check-ups, so we spot any change early. We’ll tell you what’s realistic for your tooth rather than promising a permanent result.
It usually suits a tooth that:
It may not suit a tooth that’s heavily broken down, badly cracked, or that needs the root filling redone first. Existing fillings also do not whiten as they are they are coloured to match your tooth.
If bleaching doesn’t lighten the tooth enough, the next step is usually a veneer or a crown. If a crown or veneer, a lighter coloured tooth under these gives a better appearance. Those are placed by your own dentist, not by us, and we’ll refer you back to them with our findings.
We do our utmost to cater to the needs of our patients.
Our highly skilled endodontists provide precise, specialist care for every patient.
Local anaesthetic and gentle care ensure a pain-free, stress-free visit.
We use the latest equipment and techniques for safe and effective treatment.
We focus on saving teeth with high success rates and long-lasting outcomes.
Internal bleaching only occurs in a root-filled tooth. That puts it squarely in endodontic territory. We can assess the root filling and perform bleaching in the same visit under a dental operating microscope.
Our specialist endodontists treat these cases regularly at our purpose-built Crows Nest rooms. You can browse our endodontic services or review treated cases before you decide.
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For one dark front tooth, it’s about as conservative as treatment gets. A veneer or crown means cutting the tooth down to fit it. Bleaching leaves the tooth as it is.
Often years. Some teeth relapse gradually and need a top-up. A good final seal makes a real difference.
It shouldn’t be. The tooth has no living nerve, so there’s nothing to feel. Some people notice mild tenderness in the gum around it.
It depends on the tooth and how many applications it needs. We’ll give you a written quote at the consultation, so you know what it costs before you decide anything.
General dentists do carry it out. Because it’s performed on a root-filled tooth and depends on that root filling being sound, an endodontist is well placed to assess both at once.
We’ll tell you honestly rather than repeating applications indefinitely. The usual next step is a veneer or crown with your own dentist.
Typically, a consultation, then a small number of short visits while the shade is adjusted. Your endodontist will map it out at the assessment.
That’s the aim, and we use a shade guide to track it. Very dark teeth sometimes lighten to a close match rather than a perfect one, and we’ll be upfront about that before starting.
A grey tooth after a root canal is a common, fixable problem, and fixing it doesn’t have to mean cutting the tooth down for a crown. Internal bleaching treats the stain where it actually is.
If one tooth has darkened and you’d like to know whether it can be lightened, get in touch with our Crows Nest practice for an assessment.
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