Not Pretty in Pink: Why Has Your Child’s Tooth Turned from White to Pink?
As a parent, you tend to monitor your child's teeth for discoloration, even without realizing it. Sure, with younger children, you'll still be supervising or assisting them when they brush their teeth, so any strange color changes or stains will be quickly noticed. With older children, any changes to the color of their teeth will be spotted when they speak or smile. Yellow, diet-induced staining is possible in children, as are brown patches of discoloration (which can suggest dental plaque)—and this warrants a trip to the dentist. However, what does it mean when one (or more) of your child's teeth turns pink?
Tooth Trauma
Trauma to a tooth (physical force caused by an accident) may leave the tooth's exterior completely unaffected. Because of this, you may not have thought that your child's tooth needed to be assessed when the trauma actually occurred. The tooth remained intact, and any discomfort quickly passed. However, the tooth could have experienced an internal injury.
The Pulp Chamber
The tooth's pulp (which is its nerve) is located at the center of the tooth, filling a hollow called the pulp chamber. When the pulp experiences bruising and trauma, it can become inflamed, expanding and pressing against the walls of the pulp chamber. As its swelling decreases, it can leave behind bloody residues on the walls of the chamber. This can then be seen from the exterior of the tooth, and this is the reason for the tooth's peculiar shade of pink.
No Immediate Danger
Any immediate danger has passed, but your child will need an appointment at your local pediatric dental clinic as soon as possible. The tooth's pulp has healed of its own accord, and once its inflammation subsided, any discomfort your child was experiencing would have similarly gone away. The issue is now nothing more than a cosmetic one, although a dentist may wish to perform an x-ray to ensure that no structural damage is present.
Restoring the Tooth's Color
Removing the internal pink stain can be achieved in a number of ways. The least invasive method is via dental bonding, which involves your child's tooth being covered with a thin layer of composite dental enamel. This is what is typically used to fill a cavity, and will be color-matched to your child's teeth. It basically paints over the discoloration. Alternatively, your dentist can make a small access cavity in the tooth and apply a slow-release bleaching strip to eliminate the residue stains from the inside out. This is more invasive and can require several treatments for truly effective results.
A pink tooth is generally just a cosmetic issue for your child, but the discoloration can certainly be removed or concealed. In any event, the issue will cease to exist when the tooth is lost and replaced with your child's permanent adult tooth.
To learn more, contact a pediatric dental clinic in your are such as Dentistry For Children & Adolescents.