Baton Rouge Dentist

Did mouth injury cause teeth to turn gray?

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I was with my friends at a local venue when, out of the blue, a fight began. I was not involved, but happen to be standing close. Close enough, actually, that I ended up getting shoved by a group of men. When I hit back, a bouncer came out of nowhere and hit me in the face. I left unharmed for the most part, but my mouth was bleeding badly. At the time, I thought it would stop and heal on its own, not really given much thought to it. However, now my bottom teeth are turning gray. This isn’t something I’ve seen a doctor for, but am wondering if I should be seen by an emergency dentist. Or, do you think it will heal on its own? I’m also curious if I am seen by a dental professional, if the venue would be responsible for paying for my medical bills, since it was their employee who hit me.

Thank you for any help you can provide,

Brian

Dear Brian,

When teeth are injured or experience trauma, and it sounds like yours definitely did, it can kill the pulp of the tooth and cause the teeth to die. A dying tooth can look gray, as you are describing, similar to a bruise on skin. Regrettably, when the teeth start to change color, there is nothing that can be done to reverse the damage. They are turning gray because there is no blood flowing into them, causing the inside to become lifeless, turning into an attractive location for bacteria to develop. If this happens, the tooth needs to be treated with a root canal as soon as possible, or it will eventually fall to infection.

You asked if you should consult an emergency dentist. There are several reasons for a person to see an emergency dentist. The list below may help you answer this question.

Reasons to see an emergency dentist

  • Toothache
  • Signs of Infection
  • Severely Broken Tooth
  • Oral or Facial Pain

It doesn’t sound like you’re currently in pain. However, if you were, you would want to see your dentist as soon as possible. But, since it seems that you’re dealing with discoloration and not pain, it doesn’t necessarily render seeing an emergency dentist at this time. That said, it is still very important for you to schedule an appointment with your regular dentist as soon as you can. If you don’t have this treated, it will escalate into a major infection.

Who Pays for Treatment

It is hard to determine if the venue will take on the financial responsibilities of your dental treatment. If the incident was reported, they may be willing to handle the damages. However, if there is no documentation of the problem, you may need to get legal advice and try to handle this in court. Regardless, please do not stall your treatment because you are waiting to find out if someone else will cover the costs. You may end up incurring additional costs and trouble because you delayed the treatment. In addition, most courts expect you to seek care right away if you have a legitimate injury. But, you’ll want to speak to a lawyer for advice regarding the legal matters.

This blog post is sponsored by Baton Rouge emergency dentist, Dr. Ryan Perry.

Did the Emergency Dentist Destroy One of My Teeth?

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I went to an emergency dentist because of some pain while I was out of town. I told him what was going on. He couldn’t see what was going on, but said based on my symptoms he feels certain I cracked a tooth. He did a crown. The pain went away for a little bit, but is now hurting again. I looked and the tooth next to the crowned tooth has turned gray. Did the emergency dentist damage it when he gave me the crown?

Lisa L.

Dear Lisa,

It would be unlikely the emergency dentist caused the tooth to die. I can think of a few scenarios which are possible.

The first is a misdiagnosis. Possibly, the graying tooth could be the one bothering you all along and it referred pain to the crowned tooth. If that’s what happened, having another dentist look at the x-rays should be able to tell you for sure. If it turns out it was an obvious misdiagnosis, you can get a refund for your dental crown.

Another possibility is that something damaged the adjacent tooth after your appointment. Admittedly, this is the least likely option. The chance of something causing trauma to a tooth right next to the one you had treated without you realizing it is pretty small. But, it’s worth mentioning as an option.

The most likely option is that both teeth were traumatized at the same time. Sometimes it takes a while for the results of the trauma to show up. So, one tooth was cracked and another possibly had its blood supply cut off. This would cause it to gray slower than the symptoms on the other tooth showed up.

You may never know for sure unless it is a misdiagnosis. However, the dying tooth needs to be addressed. You’ll need a root canal treatment. If you don’t the bacteria it’s harboring will blow up into a tooth infection and you’ll end up with another dental emergency.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.