Discolored Teeth

The most common cause of intrinsic (inside the tooth) discoloration is trauma. Initially the tooth may appear pink and with time progresses to a purple and then blue-gray color.  Trauma results in the pulp tissue bleeding out into the dentin (next layer out from the pulp) eventually resulting in a non-vital tooth. The treatment of choice is root canal therapy to remove the diseased pulp tissue. Another cause for intrinsic staining is the use of antibiotics (tetracyclines) during the development of the tooth.  Yellow is the most common color change if tetracycline is used during tooth development.

The most common cause of extrinsic (tooth surface) discoloration is plaque and calculus accumulation on the tooth surface. Scaling and polishing can remove the plaque and calculus discoloration of the tooth surface.