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What might be causing a loose tooth to discolor?

Kim - posted on 11/13/2011 ( 2 moms have responded )

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My daughter just turned 6 (yesterday) and has lost 4 baby teeth in the past year. Tooth #5 has been loosening up over the past month or so, and is now quite wiggly. With this one, she absolutely will NOT allow anyone to touch it for fear they will pull it out and it'll hurt (normal fear)... The problem is that this tooth (her first incisor, top) has turned from a pearly white to pale bluish and is now showing a dark brown tinge to it, seemingly getting darker by the day. None of the other baby teeth went through this color change, and I'm beginning to get concerned... Is this something I should be worried about? Does anyone know about what might be causing this discoloration or anyone have experience with a similar situation? Any help is appreciated!

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Donna - posted on 01/02/2013

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My child will be five in a couple of months. I just discovered that she has two loose teeth last week. This week I have her breath is really bad, gums around that are swollen, and one of the teeth is turning dark. Could this be an abscess? Should I take her to the dentist?

Jane - posted on 11/13/2011

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One possibility is simply that because it is loose some blood has gone astray so the tooth is in essence "bruised." This will typically clear up on its own given enough time. Of course, the tooth may simply come out before it has time to lighten.

Another is that the tooth is loose enough to have lost connection with the blood supply entirely and so it is dying and at risk of becoming abscessed.

You should take her to the dentist. At the very least the dentist can painlessly remove the loose tooth, but if there is a possible infection, he/she can remove the tooth and prescribe antibiotics.

The simplest rule is when in doubt ask an expert. In this case, that would be your dentist.

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