Listen to Your Body When It Comes to Health

Our bodies are excellent at telling us when something is wrong internally. Something that does not appear to be right is usually indicative of a current problem. Maddie noticed for a long time that her right front tooth always appeared darker than the rest of her teeth. Despite her best efforts to whiten her teeth, one tooth would never brighten, as it did with the other teeth. As it turns out, the dark tooth was dark because the nerve inside was dead (necrotic). When a tooth’s pulp dies, it is unable to feel cold or hot. In most cases, this is the result of a traumatic injury, such as a sporting injury, a fall, or another type of accident. An untreated necrotic tooth should not be left unattended for an extended period of time.

With root canal therapy, we were able to remove the nerve and restore the tooth. We could have placed a small filling in the back, but since aesthetics are a concern, we protected the tooth with a porcelain crown and achieved the best natural result possible. The best part is that we did not veneer the adjacent middle tooth and achieved this beautiful result with only a one-tooth treatment. 

-Dr. Pa Yang