Blue teeth is so rare and uncommon. You may have seen white teeth, which is the normal teeth color. You can also see yellow teeth which signifies dirt on the teeth but blue teeth? We all know that yellow teeth is caused by not taking good care of the teeth and other lifestyles like smoking but could that probably make the teeth to have blue color?
WHAT CAUSES BLUE TEETH
There are many factors that can make the teeth to leave its natural color to become blue. These factors are:
1. Natural Tooth Color: This should not surprise you, the teeth comes in many colors but the most common color is white. According to Medline Plus in 2017, a genetic condition that is rare and known as dentinogenesis imperfecta (or hereditary opalescent dentin) can change the appearance of the teeth including the color and structure.
This condition naturally changes the color of the teeth from white to blue-gray. It is caused when a genetic mutation leads to defective dentin and makes the teeth weak. This rare condition can make the teeth to breakage, wear and tooth loss.
2. Dead Teeth: It may surprise you to know that teeth die, the enamel may have no life in them but there are nerves and pulps that are living tissues. When there is a trauma to these nerves and pulp, the teeth including the enamel can die and this results to the teeth having a blue or even a pink color. Apart from trauma, infections can also cause tooth death.
When bacteria and other infections attach and damage the living tissues in a tooth, it can lead to dead teeth too. Abscess can form on the teeth leading to decay, this decay makes the affected tooth to have blue color.
3. Early exposure to antibiotics: Antibiotics can be administered to a fetus or a child to fight viral infections. The Journal of International Oral Health claims that early exposure to the common infection-fighting antibiotic tetracycline while in the womb or as a young child before the age of 8 can discolor an adult’s teeth. When antibiotics change the color of the teeth, the discoloration will not go away even if you brush or maintain good dental hygiene.
4. Dental Restorations: Dental fillings are used to close gaps and holes in the tooth to avoid bacteria getting trapped in them. They are also used to correct cracks in the teeth, chip or even missing tooth braces too are very useful. Most of these fillings can have silver color especially if they are dental amalgam. The material of this filling with glass ionomer, acrylic, porcelain, and metal crowns will make the teeth look like it has blue color.
5. Aging: Old age is a phase that come with many changes from weak bones and teeth to pain and even changing the natural color of the teeth. This change in color is caused by the wearing down if the enamel making the yellow dentin under to come up. Most people will have their teeth change to yellow while other may notice their enamel having blue color.
6. Dental Trauma: Trauma from injury can make the gums, tooth and the tissues around it to have lesser blood that is not sufficient. When the blood supplied is not enough, the tooth enamel changes to blue color. This can change after sometime but sometimes, the tooth dies off and remains discolored.
7. Root canals: Materials can be used to fill the canals of the tooth and if these materials are left in the teeth, they can change the tooth color to blue. Also certain medications used for canals that contain active ingredients such as demeclocycline hydrochloride and triamcinolone acetonide (like Ledermix medication) or calcium hydroxide (like Ultracal XS) can change the tooth color.
BLUE TEETH WHITENING: PROCEDURE
Unlike most teeth discolorations that can be gotten rid of by proper dental hygiene, blue teeth is not usually removed easily. It needs some dental treatments to be removed. Some ways of whitening or removing blue teeth are:
1. Teeth whitening: Teeth whitening, like the name implies is done to whiten the teeth enamel. It is a procedure (not medical but classified under cosmetic) that involves going through dental processes in order to make the teeth white again. It is not done once because to achieve the best result, the procedure has to be done many times.
It is an effective way of removing any teeth discoloration. A substance that has carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide as their active ingredients are used for teeth whitening. Paste and gel can also be used depending on how severe the discoloration is and the cause as well.
There are two types of teeth whitening procedure, There are:
i. Vital whitening: This is done on teeth that have nerves, pulp and tissues that are alive. This type of teeth whitening uses gels, strips and toothpaste to change the color of the teeth. This procedure can be done at home using teeth bleaching solutions, toothpaste, strips and whitening gels.
ii. Non vital whitening: This is only done on dead tooth. A dead tooth is one whose nerves and pulp are dead, it is mostly used for discoloration caused by root canal.
2. Veneers: Veneers are mostly used for improving the look of cracked, chipped or broken teeth. They can also be used to hide blue teeth as they are thin, semipermanent and can be custom made to fit any teeth. Veneers are made with different materials so you can choose your preferred shade of white. The material can be porcelain or lumineer.
i. Porcelain veneers: This look natural because they are made with high quality ceramic that can last for a very long time. They are custom made to match the shade of white of the other teeth. Porcelain veneers can catch and show off light just like natural enamel. This type of veneer needs little time to prepare the teeth for placement and it does not require removing the old or discolored enamel. It covers the enamel perfectly. Porcelain veneers can last up to 15 years and more.
ii. Lumineers: This are different from porcelain, not in the function but the prepping time and how they are placed on the tooth. Unlike porcelain that needs some time to prep the teeth, lumineer just need little or no time for prep. They are just bonded over the teeth. The dentist will also remove some part of the enamel before fixing the lumineers.
Part of the enamel is removed to make the lumineer be on the same plane as other teeth and to look natural as well. The enamel is removed based on how thick the lumineer is. Some sources claim that lumineers can last up to 10 years.
3. Crowns: Crowns are like caps (shaped like teeth) that are worn over the teeth to change their size, shape and their look. It can also make a weak teeth to look strong. The crown can be made with porcelain, metal, ceramic or resin; the type used depends on the patient and how long the crowns will stay on the teeth. The first step the dentist takes is to make a copy of the tooth or teeth using a paste and the impression is sent to a laboratory so as it can be used to make the crown.
After the crown is made, Anastasia will be used to numb the tooth before placing the crown over it. You may feel discomfort or your teeth becomes sensitive few days after the placement. The crowns can last for 5 to 15 years depending on factors like oral care hygiene, how much wear and tear the crown is exposed to and the kind of mouth related habits you have.
WHITENING TEETH PRODUCTS
There are many products in the market that can be used to change the color of the teeth from blue to white. You can easily get these products in supermarkets and online stores. Here are some of these products and their reviews from customers.
i. Intelliwhite cool blue teeth whitening light system: This is a product that is made by dentists and aims at changing the color of the teeth to white. The product has a gel, latex-free mouth guard and a whitening pen as well. It can whiten teeth in 7 days, there has been so many positive reviews from customers who reported that the result is fast and the product is easy to use. The pen should be used once a month.
ii. Rio blue teeth whitening: This comes with a whitening gel and blue light. The gel has no mint flavor or any taste and this makes it easier for people that hate mint taste but others claimed the gel has a foul taste. The results are good and impressive in some while others claimed there is lite or no results. This means that the product may not work for all teeth discoloration.
iii. Go sonic blue teeth whitening: This is the only sonic toothbrush that not just whitens teeth only but kills bacteria as well. It is easy to use, has a good smell and taste, gentle on the teeth and gives good result according to many reviews and feedbacks. However, some reported that the product is somehow rough on their teeth.
CONCLUSION
Blue teeth is rare but it occurs in people. It can be caused by different reasons like genetic condition, root canal, antibiotics especially from a younger age, trauma and disease of the nerves, root canal and others.
There are many ways of testing this condition like using whitening products to getting veneers and crowns. The products you use to whiten your blue teeth should be safe and gentle on your teeth.