Having your 2 or 3-year-old crying across the playground is one of the regulars in parenting. But figuring out why baby teeth discolored gray can be difficult.
With time, it’s easy to let some of those cries pass by, as that could be another definition of growth.
Just like figuring out how long to let baby cry it out at naptime.
Baby teeth discolored gray can be daunting if you have no idea if it is harmful or another harmless issue that will go away on its own.
This blog post will point out all you need to do if another gray tooth turns up at the front of your baby’s mouth.
Why do my baby’s teeth look gray?
Baby teeth discolored gray results from an impact like a fall or accident that causes trauma and internal bleeding.
Once it turns gray, there is damage to the blood vessels, and the tooth is struggling to receive the required amount of blood.
The discoloring should be visible two to three weeks after the incident.
Can the grey baby tooth turn white?
So long as the impact was not severe, you can expect the tooth to turn lighter but sometimes over long periods.
Regardless, that won’t cause any harm unless you notice an infection from swelling, redness, lumps, or bumps requiring removal.
Will the baby teeth turn grey before falling out?
Your baby’s teeth will only turn grey as an effect of a hard impact they had a few weeks ago and has nothing to do with falling out.
Generally, your baby’s teeth will start to fall out at the age of five to seven years, and the grey tooth shouldn’t be any different. If not, you may need to book an appointment with your family dentist to have it pulled out.
Why are my child’s front teeth discolored?
The front teeth can be discolored for different reasons, including taking medication, excess fluoride, a weak enamel, sickness, inadequate or no brushing at all, and tooth injury.
Depending on the cause, it may turn yellow, brown, gray, purple, or black.
Baby Teeth Discolored Gray: What You Need To Know!
Typically, baby or primary teeth are whiter than permanent adult teeth.
That is because they’re more calcified.
And when there are gray or brown stains on baby teeth, your culprit may be one of the reasons below:
No or inadequate brushing
The big question is, when should parents start brushing their baby’s teeth?
As the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry would put it, as soon as you take pride in that first baby tooth to make its appearance.
With improper brushing, plaque or bacteria can form upon baby’s teeth, and tooth discoloration can be the fruition.
Too much fluoride
How old is your baby?
Are you keeping up with a schedule of powder or liquid concentrated infant formula?
Cause if you are, fluoridated water combined with the formula increases the chances that your little prince or princess will end up with faint white lines or streaks (fluorosis).
Medication
While that supplemental vitamin that you can’t let your baby miss is good for their health, it may be taking its effects a little too far through discoloration.
This is especially true if it incorporates iron.
Similarly, taking prescriptions such as antibiotic tetracycline during pregnancy or afterward when breastfeeding can be another cause for a baby’s-stained teeth.
Sickness
If you notice any green or yellow hue on your kid’s teeth, you can blame it on a condition called hyperbilirubinemia, where there is too much presence of bilirubin in the blood at birth.
A weak enamel
Back to basics, and our genes influence a lot of things.
It goes beyond that smile your child has of you or your partner.
An issue with enamel formation may be traced to genetic problems in the family. And this is another reason for stains on your baby’s whites.
Besides, a weak enamel can cause concern due to other effects such as sensitivity and biting irregularities.
Injury to the tooth
Although the crying will let you know that something went down and your baby’s tooth was at the mercy of it, any single dark tooth that you see two to three weeks later is a sign that the incident resulted in dental trauma.
The problem is milk teeth are a bigger deal than you think.
They go beyond appearance, the ability to give your baby more finger foods, and are placeholders for permanent adult teeth.
That means if the milky teeth are damaged, the spacing and alignment of the permanent teeth are greatly affected.
That said, parents should take the initiative to take proper care of these teeth and address any issues sooner than later.
Thanks to the common bumps and knocks, a gray tooth is not unique in the children’s world, and most parents experience it.
Once the gray color sets in, the tooth’s blood supply has been interfered with.
And as a result, it is struggling to receive the required amount of blood. The tough enamel coating is and should be hard for several reasons.
But that doesn’t extend to its internal area, incorporating a soft center that communicates with a nerve.
The soft center can slowly die away if the nerve is altered or damaged.
Baby teeth discolored gray is caused by the trauma from hitting, leading to internal bleeding.
The bleeding should be taken as seriously as taking place in any other body part.
However, the knock may not be too severe, and it goes away on its own in such circumstances. Still, turning lighter may take a great deal of time.
When The Gray Tooth Is A Cause For Alarm
For assurance, it’s advisable to have it checked up by a dentist.
This way, if there is too much damage to the nerve, it can be removed. Your doctor may find it appropriate to leave the tooth as it is.
Sometimes, the affected soft center of a dead tooth can breed bacteria, which leads to infections.
Therefore, take a close look around the area of the damaged tooth. Do the gums incorporate any lumps, bumps, redness, or swelling?
If so, there could be an infection. Booking an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible is best. In such cases, the only solution is rooting it out.
Among the possibilities is a root canal, although this is not advisable for such a young age.
The probability is high that it will be simply pulled up (Phewks! a missing tooth will not be a reason not to turn up at school, unlike ten years later).
What if there is no infection?
Watch out for the tooth to ensure it gets loose just about the same time as fellow front teeth.
That should be typically between the age of five to seven.
If you see no signs of falling out, your family dentist will put his skills to use to ensure permanent teeth take their place.
That’s not the end, though.
Your dentist may have to perform some x-rays to affirm that there is no damage to the permanent teeth slowly developing underneath the gums.
Final thoughts on Baby Teeth Discolored Gray
Baby teeth discolored gray shouldn’t always cause an alarm and may go away on their own.
However, see your dentist sooner if it comes with infection signs like fever, swelling in the gums, or pain.
Treat it like a dental emergency and book an appointment immediately for a professional assessment for any damage and probably removal.
The same applies if the tooth doesn’t fall out with the other milk teeth to pave the way for the permanent teeth.
