Gray Tooth: Aren’t they supposed to be white?

Minor traumatic injuries to kid’s baby front teeth are very common.  Whether it’s a quick, accidental head butt from your buddy when going down a slide at the park or a full-on collision with your sister during a great game of hide and go seek, those little front teeth can take a beating!  Fortunately, primary teeth are very resilient!  They recover from injuries like these very well.  A common finding after such an injury is the “gray” or “bruised” tooth.  Sometimes it is the only evidence that an injury has occurred.   If you see a bruised tooth in your child’s mouth, it’s important to properly evaluate what is going on with an x-ray.  This evaluation will determine if the roots is fractured or if the  nerve tissue has died.  Because of the location they are easily recognized by the parent.  Give us a call if you see a bruised tooth.