Why Is Daughter's Tooth Grey?

Updated on July 08, 2008
S.B. asks from Hot Springs National Park, AR
16 answers

I am worried about my daughter's front tooth. About 4 or 5 days ago she and her brother were playing chase and she fell on top of him and hit her tooth on his head. I checked to make sure it wasn't loose and she said it hurt when I tried to wiggle it. It was not loose and she got over it so I didn't think anything else about it. Well,yesterday I noticed that the top of her tooth had a grey tint to it. I did some research on-line and I read that it could be bruised. I also read that it could eventually be an abseced(sp?) tooth. I was just wondering if anybody else has had this happen? Thanks

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So What Happened?

Well,I called her dentist this morning and they said that it was bruised. She said it was just like if I were to run in to a door and get a bruise on my face. She said that I don't need to bring her in and to just watch for pimples on her gums above the tooth. If she gets any of those or it starts to hurt her to call them. Thank you for all the responses.

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H.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had a similar thing happen to me as a child. I fell off a sofa as a toddler and pushed a front tooth almost all the way back up into the gumline (from what I've heard). It eventually came back down a brownish color, but firm in the gum. It fell out in the normal timeline of baby teeth. The permanant tooth didn't show any problems.

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K.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

The same thing happened to our child - her whole tooth turned gray. We took her to the dentist because it seemed to happen quickly (and I was worried her tooth had died which has all sorts of implications for her dental health now and as an adult). We found out her tooth was bruised. The dentist explained the incident could have taken place over one year ago and it took that long for the blood to settle into the tooth. The discoloration may or may not fade. Our daughter's tooth has not completely turned back to white, but it is much better than it was when we took her to the dentist. By the way, we never remembered a time where her tooth bothered her. Find a good children's dentist and get it checked out so you can have some peace of mind - ask your friends and family about dentists in your area. Good luck and I hope it turns out to be just a bruised tooth!

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C.H.

answers from Jackson on

A friends son's tooth did this. She took him to the dentist and they said they were dead. They drilled out the dead stuff, filled them in with white filling and they look fine now. If you dont do this, supposedly, the dead part can damage the permanent teeth and cause decay. Just take him to a dentist to be sure.

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K.B.

answers from Tulsa on

Hi, I had this happen to me.

My tooth was grey just arround the gum line. I had no pain with it whatsoever. No cold/heat sensitivity, it wasn't loose, didn't bother me one bit. But the fact that it was gray REALLY concerned me. I went to the dentist and it turned out the tooth had been traumatized (they think due to my having braces when I was younger) and the root and nerves in it died. They said the tooth in essence was "dead"...which is why I wasn't having any pain or sensitivity. I ended up having to get a root canal to clean out the dead nerve so it didn't cause infection or spread into my gum. It was cake.

I used Dr. Ariana in Broken Arrow for my root canal. ###-###-####. They were fantastic! I would bring her to the dentist asap and have them evaluate it and take x-rays. Hope it turns out okay.

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T.L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

A friend of mine collided with a guy during basketball and wound up having to get a rout conal(sp?). You may want to take her to see a dentist.

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T.L.

answers from Jonesboro on

My sons tooth did this when he fell off a skateboard onto concrete. He kept it for about 2 years, the dentist said it was fine. After a year and a half it started breaking off a little at a time, but by that time he was old enough that he would have lost it soon, so the dentist went ahead and pulled what was left of it. His permanent tooth came in and is perfect. I was always worried about it being affected, but the dentist said it would be fine, and it was. But I would still probably go to the dentist and get it checked out just to be sure.

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R.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My F-I-L had a tooth that did the same thing. After many years like 40-50 it had to be replaced, but I would take her to the dentist to ensure it doen't go through to the adult tooth.

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A.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

she probably broke the root and the tooth died. that sounds severe but it's really no big deal unless you notice a little pimple type area around her tooth, front or back, which is a sign of an abcess. if it was a grown up tooth, she might have a root canal, but since it is a baby tooth, and will fall out anyway, they probably won't want to do anything. have and xray done by her dentist to be sure, but if they tell you to do anything, get a second opinion.

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J.J.

answers from Enid on

My son hit his front teeth when he was about 2 and I took him to the dentist. His teeth turning grey was one of the things that we were told to look for. He made it sound like it could be a sign dead nerve and it would affect the growth of his permanent teeth. I would get her into the dentist asap so they can take an x-ray of the tooth.

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G.B.

answers from Tulsa on

You don't say how old she is but I am assuming that since you have been with hubby for 7 yrs. that she is younger than that, also you say "both in school" so at least one of the children are not in school. If she is preschool age or younger then she needs to see a Pediatric Dentist. They are specialist in baby teeth. They usually put the kids to sleep to do any dental work. K went to one in OKC and I can't say enough about how wonderful the whole experience was. He also takes Sooner Care and he is so in tune with the kids.

Call a Dentist and ask them what they want to do.

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R.J.

answers from Shreveport on

It sounds like it could be nerve damage. Take her to a dentist.

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S.L.

answers from Fort Smith on

Good for you for being able to stay home with your kids. I had the same thing happen to one of my children. At their next checkup I asked the dentist about it. He said it no longer had a blood supply but it was ok until it fell out. Never abscessed but you will certainly want to keep an eye on it.

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S.C.

answers from New Orleans on

I used to be a dental assistant for a pediatric dentist. If the tooth is turning grey then is means that the nerves going to the tooth are dead. There were tons of kids that came in like that. They usually left it alone unless they saw an abcess. I'm not sure how hold your child is-but they usually leave it there so they don't have to go so long without a tooth. Also, the baby tooth being there-even though its dead-is saving room for the perm. tooth to come in. I would just watch it to make sure it does not abcess (will look like a little pimple on the gums). If you feel uncomfortable about it, I would just go ahead and bring her in. It should go fairly quick just to take an x-ray of it (depending on cooperation. I can just tell you from what I've experienced.

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C.T.

answers from Fayetteville on

She needs to go to the dentist. I've seen this twice (nephew and a child at preschool) In both cases the tooth (in one case-both front teeth) was dead and needed to be pulled. Since they are baby teeth they will obviously be replaced eventually, but its hard to think a 3 yr old will have to go without a tooth until 6 or 7 when the permanent tooth comes in.

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V.D.

answers from Mobile on

Hi S., this happened to my son a couple of years ago. He was running, fell down and bumped his mouth on the stairs. Shortly after his tooth began turning a dark gray color. The dentist said that the nerve was dead and that it should not affect the permanent tooth. However yesterday I noticed that he has what appears to be an abcess right above that darken tooth. So I will be calling our dentist today.

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K.T.

answers from Huntsville on

I worked as a Dentists Assistant for 9 years, in my experience it could be internal bleeding which shows as gray thru the tooth; also possible trauma from the hit(basically the bruising you talked about) which unfortunately could end with an abcess, but only if the tooth starts hurting spontaneously, gets loose or a small, blister looking area grows around the area where the tooth protrudes from the gum above the affected tooth.

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