I had a toothache. I couldn’t see anything wrong but went in to see the dentist because it was so distracting. He said he couldn’t tell from any x-rays but thought I’ve probably cracked a tooth. He went ahead and crowned it then, which I was grateful for. It still hurts, even though it’s been a couple of days. Now I’ve noticed the tooth next to it has turned gray. Could the dentist have done something to it? I don’t really know the dentist. I just scheduled an emergency appointment with the first person who’d see me.

Evelyn

Dear Evelyn,

A gray tooth usually means it’s either dead or dying. Regardless of how it happened, the gray tooth will need a root canal treatment at this point. Though it’s not likely the dentist did anything to the tooth without you noticing, there are a few possibilities I can think of:

The Emergency Dentist Misdiagnosed Your Tooth

It’s possible the gray tooth was the injured one all the time but just took a couple of days to turn gray. If it was obvious and the dentist shouldn’t have crowned your other tooth, you can certainly get a refund. However, you’ll probably have to take the x-rays to another dentist for a second opinion to get that confirmed.

The Adjacent Tooth Was Damaged Later

While this next one is unlikely, I’ll just mention it as a far-fetched possibility. It could have been that the adjacent tooth just happened to be injured after your appointment. Again, not likely, but possible. And, like the dentist doing it, I think you would have noticed.

They Were Injured Simultaneously

If the emergency dentist didn’t misdiagnose you, then the next most like scenario is that both teeth were injured at the same time. It’s not uncommon that a tooth takes a little time to show the symptoms of the trauma.

Again, whatever the cause, you do need to have it repaired. Either, you can go back to this emergency dentist or, if you weren’t keen on this one, go to another. You will find a dentist you click with.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.