Hey, my name is Shelly Katalgo. My love for sedation dentistry started in high school. My best friend had a severe fear of going to the dentist and I wanted to help her feel better about it. Although I always enjoyed my dental visits, I felt bad that she struggled so much with going to hers. My parents taught me about sedation dentistry and I instantly dreamed of becoming a dental professional. I wanted to help kids like my friend stay fear free throughout their appointments by using gentle techniques and professional medications. Although I opted to follow a different career path, my passion for dentistry remained throughout the years. I will update my site with developments in this industry as soon as they are reported. I will also discuss the benefits of sedation dentistry in detail. Thanks for visiting. I hope you come back soon.
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Understanding The Importance of Sedation Dentistry
Why Your Child's Tooth Has Turned Gray
Franklin Steward
Has one of your child's teeth turned gray recently? Unfortunately, gray teeth are more than just a cosmetic issue. When a baby tooth or adult tooth turns gray, this is a sign that the tooth has become non-vital or necrotic.
Dead teeth turn gray
There is a bundle of blood vessels and nerves inside every tooth. Dentists call this bundle the dental "pulp." The blood vessels supply the tooth with everything it needs to survive, such as oxygen and nutrients. The pulp also helps teeth to feel sensations like temperature, pressure, and pain.
If the pulp suffers damage, in most cases, it will die. After the pulp of a tooth dies, the tooth no longer receives a blood supply, and this causes the tooth to turn gray over time.
If your child's tooth has turned gray, don't panic. Your child may be able to keep the tooth. First, you and your dentist need to determine why the tooth became necrotic.
Trauma and tooth decay cause teeth to die
A common cause of necrotic teeth is physical trauma. For instance, a collision with another player during a sports game can injure a tooth. However, the damage doesn't always become immediately apparent. Teeth often start to turn gray several weeks after suffering an injury.
Tooth decay can also cause teeth to become necrotic. This happens when tooth decay progresses deep into a tooth. The oral bacteria that cause tooth decay can attack the dental pulp and cause it to become infected.
In both cases, your child may experience toothache before the tooth turns gray, but this isn't always the case.
It is possible to keep a necrotic tooth
If your child's tooth shows no sign of infection, then they may be able to keep their tooth. This is especially important if the tooth is a baby tooth since baby teeth are place markers for adult teeth to erupt later. However, you and your dentist will need to monitor the tooth carefully until an adult tooth is ready to erupt and replace it.
If a baby tooth becomes infected, then your child's pediatric dentist may need to extract it. Tooth decay can affect the development of the adult teeth, which lie just behind the baby teeth in the jawbone. However, even if extraction is necessary, your child's dentist can save the space for the incoming adult tooth by placing a spacer in the gap. This will keep the space open for the adult tooth.
If your child's tooth has turned gray, take them to a dentist as soon as you can. The tooth may have died because of trauma or infection. But you can still save the tooth as long as no infection is present.
Contact a local pediatric dentist to learn more.
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