Dark Tooth.....

I didn't read through all the responses, but just in case nobody mentioned this... I had a "dead tooth" when I was little for the same reason. I hit it really hard on a pole. It was just a baby tooth. However, it didn't just fall out on it's own. It didn't even get loose when it was supposed to. My permanent tooth grew in behind it and the dead tooth had to be pulled. It wasn't too big of deal and I don't know how common it is, but I just wanted to let you know what could happen. Good luck!

my daughter has the same problem. The dentist wasn't worried about it at all. He said it will eventually fall out anyways, but there is no damage to the permanant tooth.

I would take him to the dentist. It may just be bruise but it might have also taken some damage. Good luck!!

I would not be terribly concerned. Your baby is 2 1/2 and that tooth is a baby tooth. Call your local dentist (or whomever it is that your family sees) and ask their professional opinion though. If it was an adult tooth, I'd be more concerned. It will fall out eventually anyway!!

Best of luck!
V.

Our boys did this many times. As long as it stays a tannish color it is OK. If it turns black they will remove it. My father in law is a dentist and every time this happened he received many pictures and questions. If you are really concerned take them to a pediatric dentist, they see these all the time.

I am a dental hygienist. Your son probably damaged the nerve in his tooth. It probably won't turn back to white because the nerve is dead. When he looses that tooth the new one will be white. Sorry, don't blame yourself. Lots of kids have accidents like that and it happens. You are not to blame. Nothing to worry about though. His tooth should not hurt him unless the nerve gets infected. Then the dentist will pull it. Most of the time the tooth just looks bad and moms worry to death over it.

The tooth has died, but it is nothing to worry about because it should be a baby tooth that will be replaced in a couple of years with a new permanent tooth. My daughter also had a similar situation and the tooth never caused her any problems at all. When her permanent teeth came in it was all but forgotten.

My daughter fell on the sidewalk and her tooth turned black. We took her to the dentist and it turns out she bruised one of her teeth and cracked the other one up inside her gum. Neither of them bother her at all, and it has been a year since it happened. However, the darkened tooth is getting darker, because once you bruise a tooth you basically have killed it. I would take him to the dentist and have an x-ray done to be sure that he didn't do any more damage than just bruise it. Remember though that these are just his baby teeth so he'll be loosing them anyways.
If you decide not to go to a dentist keep an eye out for little white bumps that look like acne on his gum near the tooth - this could indicate an infection.

Hey M.,
I wrote a few weeks ago about my son's grey teeth. Nobody responded back, so I thought I would write you. From the research I have done, it seems like if it is only a tan color, it will probably go white again soon. Unfortunately most dentists will tell you to "wait and see." My sons teeth got knocked when he ran into a girls head while playing. His turned really dark grey, so I was thinking that they had probably died. the only thing I could do is; have them pulled, irrigated, wait for them to fall out themselves, or wait for them to heal. I decided to wait and watch. To my surprise, they are actually starting to look lighter. I guess they can just be bruised. Anyway, luckily they are just baby teeth and other teeth will replace them if they do fall out. Good luck, and I hope I helped a little.

I had a similar situation with my daughter a few years ago. The tooth turned bluish black for about a week and then slowly turned back into a "normal" tooth. She is five now and she just lost the tooth. It came out the same time as the other front middle tooth just as it did with her six year old cousin. While I would suggest keeping an eye on it, from my experience I don' think you have anything to be alamed about.

My daughter fell and put her tooth thru her lip twice in 2 months. Her tooth also turned dark, the dentist said that they wanted to keep and eye on it just in case it becomes infected. It is now a dead tooth. It will either start to hurt and have to be pulled or just begin to lighten up a bit and fall out eventually. Hers has lightened a little but is not causing her any pain so we are just leaving it alone until it falls out on its own.
She was 2.5 when this happened now she is 4.5.
Good luck!

Hi M.!

Both my second and third sons did this. They're very rough boys! The "Dark tooth" is actually a dead tooth. Your son killed the nerve in his tooth. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about it. You just have to wait for the tooth to fall out in a few years, when he is about to get his permanent tooth. My two year old did the same thing, right after Thanksgiving, and his tooth turned gray a couple of weeks later. It bites because it is his top front tooth, and very noticeable. He has a very pretty smile but a dark gray tooth that looks awful and we have to wait another 2-3 years before it falls out! It's either that or the dentist can pull it and put a spacer in there until the new tooth is ready to come in. Good luck!

Hi M.!
What a bummer! Unfortunately, this happens often and there isn't much you can do about it, unless you want to go through expensive dental procedures for a baby tooth. Injuring a tooth like that often causes nerve endings to deaden (although not always painful) and the tooth to darken. This happened to my nephew when he was 4 and the dentist said the best thing to do (since it was a baby tooth) was to just leave it be if it wasn't painful and wait until it falls out and his new tooth grew in. I had this happen to an adult tooth when I was 12 and had to go through root canals and internal bleaching...which later on wears off and the tooth becomes dark and unbleachable. It began to get very dark and eventually I had to have a crown put on to cover it up. I would take him to a pediatric dentist though just to be sure there isn't any further damage. Contact me if you need the name of a good dentist. Good luck!

A similar thing happened to my daughter (only she was at the age of losing teeth). She fell at hit her mouth on a fireplace. There was blood everywhere and we were worried about broken bones in her face and what not. We took her to the ER and they got her cleaned up and everything and there were no broken bones but the tooth died. It turned gray in color. It had been lose since that event. When it wouldn't fall out on its own, I took her to the dentist and had him pull it. He said that there was no way it would have come out on its own. Like someone else posted, it won't go back to normal (white) but as long as it isn't painful, I wouldn't worry too much about it until other teeth start coming in especially if that one is still there. Then you may want to take him to the dentist.

Hope this helps some.

My son had the same problem, and no the tooth will not whiten up. The root was damaged and the blood supply to the tooth was compromised. It will be dark until it falls out (when he is 5-8 years old)and he's ready for his permanent tooth. My son is 11 now and has beautiful permanent teeth. Sometimes it will get very dark gray color but my son's tooth stayed a light tanish color. I'm sorry it's so frustrating! But we learned (through regular dentist visits) that the tooth had been damaged and there was not anything that could be done. Be so grateful that it wasn't knocked out completely then he would be missing that tooth until he was 5-8 years old and his permanent tooth came in. I've seen that scenario a couple of times in other children. Happy Motherhood and Best of everything to you!

M.,
Our son did the same thing when he was 3. He is now 39. He damaged the nerve in his tooth. The dentist said he would eventually lose the baby tooth and the permanent tooth would be OK. Check with your dentist. This is the same son who nearly caused our local hospital to be renamed in his honor after we made so many trips to the emergency room. He was an accident waiting to happen! LOL!
S.

M.,
Our daughter (now 3 yrs. old) hit her mouth when she was about 2 1/2 yrs. old. Her tooth turned a tanish color, then turned very dark. We took her to the dentist, and they said not to worry at all. It's exactly what you said, "a bruised tooth". After a few months, her tooth looks just like the others. The dentist said if the discoloration doesn't go away after about 3 months to go in and have it checked out.

Hi M.:
This same thing happened to my 2 year old daughter. I took her to the dentist and was told that the tooth is basically dyeing. It will stay that way until it falls out. He told me to watch it for about a month closely. If a white bump start to form above it on the gum then it is infected and needs to be seen by the dentist and possibly pulled. Good luck, I hope this helps. I know how sad it is to think they will have a brownish tooth until round 6 or 7 years old!

Take care,
S. A.

M.
The about the same thing happen to my son few months ago and his gums where really loose so I took him to the dentist. He told us that the nerves in that baby tooth are bruised and won't go away until he looses that baby tooth and gets a new one. He also said sometimes if it's not that badly bruised that it'll take a while to go away but it may not. So good luck. I'm still waiting because it's his front tooth.

Hey M., I see you have gotten plenty of responses. Just wanted to add that, my 2 1/2 year old chipped his tooth about a year ago and it started turning darker over time, which is normal, but definitely going to the dentist wouldn't hurt. I'd been taking him since then and recently found the tooth had become infected and he needed to get it pulled out. So Monday we went for the procedure and it was alot quicker than I had anticipated. It hurt of course, but afterwards he was back to his normal self. Good luck with it! Those 2 year olds are a handful aren't they? lol ;)

I had a similar situation with my daughter. I took her to the dentist right away and all was fine with the tooth/root. However the dentist explained that the tooth might become discolored do to trama, lack of blood flow and it did. Chances are all is well but I would take him in just to make sure the tooth is not cracked and the root is not damaged.

My son did the same thing and had a yellow front tooth until it fell out at age 7. His dentist said it was caused by root damage from the trauma. It probably would be a good idea to have a pediatric dentist take a look at it.....I know our dentist told us some kids have to have the tooth removed if the trauma is too bad.

My 4 yr old did the same thing about a year ago. Its a dead tooth. Mostly there is no alarm, especially if it doesn't hurt him, but it is worth it to get it checked out by the dentist because other problems, like an infection, can develop because of it. The tooth wont whiten up again, but he will eventually loose it when he looses his baby teeth!

My son had the same thing happen to him. The tooth is dead and will fall out at some point. It will not get white again. I would still take him to a dentist to have it checked. It might have an affect on his permanent tooth. Good luck and don't worry to much. Rose

My son had the same thing happen to him, he fell off the counter, when he was three. He is now five and still has his "dark tooth". My dentist told me his tooth actually died and should cause no problems to the future tooth that will eventually come in once he loses his baby teeth. That is my experience with this, so while he does have a "dead" tooth right now, I guess all will be normal and white once his new teeth come in. At least that is what I have been told.
So, good luck! Now, your son will have a one of a kind smile like mine. :-)

Take him to a dentist. Take a look at a pediatric dentist in the area. They make it an enjoyable experience for the children.

My son had trauma that occurred to his lower front tooth when he was 18 months old. We kept an eye on it and took him to the dentist anytime there was change or every six months. His tooth became abcessed (infected) about a month ago (he is almost 5 now). I did not notice the little white pocket but noticed his gum was a darker pink underneath the tooth. He had to have the tooth pulled two weeks ago. Even all of this seems a lot for a little guy he loves going to the dentist. It was never a scary experience and the help the doctors and staff give to the children is excellent.

By the way...my son never complained about any pain so it is a good idea to have it checked even if he is not complaining.

My husband is a dentist and sees this all the time. The tooth is probably dead from the trauma. It will stay brown until it falls out. It will either be fine until it falls out, or it will abscess and need to be pulled. I'd take him to the dentist to get an x-ray.

Hi M.,
Yup the tooth is dead, the same thing happened to my daughter about the same age. The dentist wanted to do all kinds of work on it, because it may not fall out on time and injure the adult tooth. Well we decided to keep an eye on it and if it didn't fall out on schedule then we would do something. It fell out right on schedule,and her adult tooth is fine. So yah, it may be a good idea to have a dentist look at it but consider if what they tell you is best or not before acting.. :)
S.

His tooth is probably dead. Luckily, it is not his premament tooth but you should at least call the dentist to make sure it doesn't need to come out.
C. B

Take him to the dentist. It sounds like the root is dead. My youngest slipped in the back of out pickup when he was 3, he mashed his lips pretty badly and knocked a tooth sideways. We took him to the dentist and the x-rays showed that the tooth that he messed up grazed the edge of his adult tooth. He is now 10 and has a space in his teeth because the adult tooth never came in properly. So, now we have to put the poor kid in braces with a wire attached to his adult tooth and gradually force it to grow out. The weirdest thing about my son is that when he lost his baby teeth in the front, the tooth that got mashed came out root & all. The root never dissloved like they are supposed to.
I was never one to worry about getting the kids to dentists until they were old enough to understand that the dentist is there to help them. But when mine mashed his we had to go in, and the dentist told me that as soon as the kids have a full mouth of teeth they should start coming in for checkups.

I have a similar situation... About 18 months ago my daughter (4) and son (3) were being superheroes and jumping off of his bed. My daughter's mouth landed on the edge of his metal frame bed and bent her front tooth in (toward the back of her mouth). I was able to pull it forward (gross and painful!). I took her to the dentist and he said that it would probably bruise (discolor). Teeth that get damaged and bruise will stay discolored until their permanent teeth come in. This is what the dentist told me. I can't wait for that tooth to fall out!! Also, I read a few of the other posts saying that the tooth is dead or dying, the dentist told me this isn't so. He (Dr. Zobell) said that it is just bruised (like any other part of your body) but that it won't return to a "normal" color. Hope this helps...

I would take him to the dentist. I bet the tooth is dying. They may need to do something for it. I am not sure if it can be saved if it is dying, but I am sure the dentist has some tricks.

good morning M., my son was learning to walk at the age of 14 months and fell and just barley bumped his mouth and his front two teeth did the same thing. when i took him in to the pediatric dentist he had bumped them enough to damage the nerves, then at two he had to have them removed and now has porcelain veneers. so if i were you i would make a appointment, and good luck. ps. the same things happened two weeks ago to my 4 year old nephew and he had his teeth pulled yesterday.

I think you don't mess around with teeth. Go to your dentist.

I would take him to the dentist to have it checked. It could be a dead tooth.

M.,
I have a 10 year old son and when he was about 1 1/2 years old he feel down. At the time we didn't notice anything wrong with his teeth. Actually for a month or so, then his tooth started to look dark. I went to my dentist and took him with me and he said he needed to see a child dentist. I took him to the childrens dentist and they told me that his tooth was dying, the fall caused this and that the tooth should be pulled. His was a front top tooth and they ended up pulling both front top teeth when he was under two years old. His teeth came back in when they were supposed to about 6 or 7 years old. He is fine and his "adult" teeth are fine. He was toothless for a long time, but it wasn't a big deal. I would suggest taking your little guy into the dentist and see what they say. Just my experience! Good luck!

Unfortunately the tooth is "dying". I strongly recommend that you take your son to a pediatric dentists to weigh your options. The same thing happened to my son. I was told that we could either A)keep the tooth and wait until it falls out on it's own, however the damage to the tooth could spread to the permanent one behind it or B)remove the tooth, however there was a possibility there could be complications when the permanent tooth tries to come out (it may need help to get out or it could become crooked). We decided to remove the tooth. All the kids thought he was cool since he was the first one of them to get a missing tooth. Fortunately, we did not have any complications.

I am pretty sure it means that it is dead or dying...that happened to my nephew hit with a baseball and they didn't get to the dentist in time so it is permantly gone now. I would go to the dentist asap

Usually teeth go dark when they are dying. He may have an infection because the inside of the tooth may have been damaged during the fall. I would take him to a dentist.

I would get that boy to a dentist right away... He may have damaged the root. A dark tooth can indicate that the root has died. My daughter has a molar that is now grayish black, and will be having a root canal next week....
Better safe than sorry!
Good Luck,
M~

take him to the dentist to make sure it is going to be ok.

You should definitely get to a dentist. I hate to be the bearer of not so good news but the tooth is unlikely to lighten up. I had an accident during childhood, unfortunately with my new permanent teeth, in which the tooth "died". It's not as traumatic when the tooth involved is a baby tooth but definitely something you need a dentist's consultation for. If the tooth nerve is dead, something may need to be done to prevent abscess. Don't panic - but call a dentist today.

I'm a dental assistant and the tooth is dead or dying. It can happen with a hard hit to the tooth. So go to the dentist and see what they say. The good thing is that it's a baby tooth and as long as you get it taken care of now there won't be any damage to the permanent tooth.

It's a dead tooth. I got one when I was four, running through a parking lot. I slipped and hit the pavement mouth first. It never whitened up, we just had to wait for it to fall out when I was eight. Not a big deal. It doesn't hurt any and he won't have it forever.

Because he is so young it's a baby tooth so don't worry about it. It probably wont change back to white (he killed the tooth when he hit it on the table). It's just a dead tooth now and it will eventaully fall out just like the others will

Usually a dark tooth means it is dead. I would take your child to see a pedactic dentist.

When I was little, I was running and tripped and hit my mouth. It killed my two front teeth. The both turned tan-ish gray. They stayed that way until they were pulled out (my baby teeth didn't like to fall out and had to be pulled) when I was seven. It was no problem to leave them in--they were still functional for eating and also helped guide my adult teeth as they grew in. But sorry, you're son is going to have a dark tooth for a few years!

M.,

I would take him to a pediatric dentist. It probably means that his tooth is now dead. I would definitely take him and have them look at it. If you need the name of a great pediatric dentist I go to one in Draper caleld "Out of This World Dentistry" it's Dr. Cory Stark.

this happened to me when I was young, I ran into a ladder and my tooth turned brownish gray. My tooth actually "died" and fell out at a later time. I am assuming it's a baby tooth since he is so young, but you could call the dr. and see if there is anything they want to take a look at. It's probably nothing to worry about since they fall out anyway, it just looks a bit strange with it being a different color than the rest. Good luck!

Take him to the dentist as soon as possible. The darkening means that there are dead nerves. That happened to my baby tooth and I had to have 3 root canals and an internal bleaching on the permanent tooth because it was damaged too.

Have him see the dentist. I have friends that have had these issues. One of the little girls just had it slowly turn back white, the other it damaged a nerve on a friends son and they had to some work on it so it didn't damage the permenant tooth. The coloration is blood built up in the tooth from the roots. Just have him checked out, more then likely it is nothing but better safe then sorry. If he is hurting from it , it could have damaged the root.

sounds like to me, some blood got into the tooth when he hit his face. I had a friend that hit a tooth pretty hard wrestling and had the same thing happen. There was nothing the dentist could do except try and bleach it. luckily your little one still has baby teeth. The permanent ones will be normal. I would check with a dentist though to make sure.

This same thin happened to my son, so I looked for some answers online. This is the best I found so far...http://life.familyeducation.com/toddler/teeth/42218.html

"It sounds like when your daughter fell she injured her front tooth as well. Sometimes the tooth will become discolored because of the bleeding that occurred within the tooth. If that is the case, the gray color should go away within a few weeks, and the tooth will look totally normal. It should not fall out prematurely. If the tooth stays gray, however, then it likely means that the root of the tooth was disrupted, and that the tooth is now "dead". The tooth will be permanently discolored or gray, and it will be more likely to come out early. It is also at more risk for getting an infection or abcess.

There wasn't really anything you should have or could have done to change the course of this. Fortunately, this is still the primary or "baby" tooth, and it is likely that her permanent tooth will be fine. You should take her to see her dentist, however, so that it can be evaluated. The dentist may want to take x-rays to confirm that the permanent tooth is fine. I would make sure that you try and prevent her from injuring it again, as any further injury will likely disrupt the root."

http://life.familyeducation.com/toddler/teeth/42218.html

I think it killed the root. I don't think it will whiten up. It's best to take a trip to the dentist and let a professional take a look, and see what they can do. At least make a phone call, I'm sure they will answer any questions you have free of charge.
Good luck!

Hi M.,
You should have a dentist take a look. Generally when a tooth goes dark the nerve has been killed in the tooth. Since it is a baby tooth it isn't that big of a deal as it will come out in a couple of years. You should still have a dentist opinion just in case with all the new technology perhaps there is something they can do and they would want to make sure there isn't any thing else damaged.
S. M M

Your child probably damaged the nerve to that tooth. And should go to the dentist.