Help! My Child's Tooth Is Turning Dark!

Have you recently noticed your child’s tooth is turning a different color, maybe brown, gray, or another type of discoloration? Then you likely have many questions regarding why this happened, and how you can effectively solve this issue and get your child’s dental health back on track!

This short blog post from First Smiles Children's Dentistry can provide you with all the information you need to address your child’s tooth turning dark!
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Why Is Your Child’s Tooth Changing Colors?

There can be many factors that affect your child’s tooth color:

• Eating foods or drinking liquids known to stain teeth (especially those with artificial colorings, blueberries, oranges, pasta sauces, etc.);
• Cavities forming
• Tooth infection
• A direct blow to the tooth, etc.

Determining which factor led to the child’s tooth turning gray is essential to getting them the appropriate treatment. For instance, if your child’s tooth color changes because of something they ate or drank, it is most likely a temporary issue that should go away once the child brushes their teeth.

For other possible explanations, it’s important to take your child to a children's dentist right away.
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How Do You Know When Your Child Should See a Dentist?

Some telling signs that your child’s tooth discoloration is caused by a dental issue is the presence of additional symptoms such as:

• Increased sensitivity to heat or cold
• Difficulty chewing or feeling pain when they chew their food
• Swelling
• Mild bleeding
• Persistent tooth pain
• Even a fever, in the case of an infection

If your child also presents with these symptoms, you should take them to a dentist right away. The sooner they get the right treatment the better!
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Be Mindful of Dental Injuries

Children can hurt themselves while playing, but the effects are not always immediately visible. For example, if your child falls and hurts their tooth, the discoloration can present even a few days after, which increases the odds of parents missing this connection.

Even if you inspect the tooth and it looks fine, you should still bring your child in for a consultation, so that the dentist can have a look and determine the full extent of the damage, or lack thereof. When it comes to everybody/s dental health, prevention is always key, so bring your child to routine dentist appointments on the regular, even if nothing is bothering them. This is the key to their long-term dental health!
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Bring your child to First Smiles Children's Dentistry

If you’ve noticed your child’s tooth is turning dark, the First Smiles Children's Dentistry team is here to help. Our services will make sure your child’s smile is perfectly happy and healthy!

To get started, please book a consultation with Dr. Corey Acree online, or call our office directly at (209) 343-3500 to find out more about our services and how we can support your child’s oral health.