How to Remove Gray From a Tooth

Gray stains on teeth are generally harder to remove than yellow stains. A professional whitening treatment is usually enough to treat discoloration on the surface of your teeth -- known as extrinsic staining. However, if the source of the stain is inside the tooth -- or intrinsic staining -- as with gray stains caused by serious cases of fluorosis, tetracycline use, or internal bleeding caused by trauma or root canal therapy --- other methods should be considered.

Instructions

Extrinsic Gray Stains

• 1

  Visit your dentist for a checkup. Your dentist will be able to recommend a suitable treatment plan, after examining your teeth to establish whether you have easily removable extrinsic stains on the outer layer of the tooth, or more stubborn intrinsic stains in the inner structure of the tooth.

• 2

  Get a professional tooth cleaning treatment. Your dentist will remove superficial stains and deposits using ultrasonic cleaning, rotary polishing with an abrasive paste, or air-jet polishing with an abrasive powder.

• 3

  Try a professional whitening or bleaching treatment. During in-office power or laser bleaching, your dentist will use light to activate a bleaching agent in one or more 60 to 90 minute sessions. Professional home bleaching involves wearing a custom-fitted tray containing a gel bleaching agent at night for two to six weeks.

• 4

  Use over-the-counter teeth whitening products, such as whitening toothpaste or strips, to maintain the results of your whitening treatment. Whitening toothpastes will not bleach your teeth, but can keep stains at bay with regular, long-term use as part of an effective oral care routine.

• 5

  Avoid smoking or consuming substances that will stain your teeth, such as red wine, tea, coffee or other highly colored foods.

Intrinsic Gray Stains

• 6

  Visit your dentist for a check up. Your dentist will be able to recommend a suitable treatment plan after examining your teeth to establish whether you have easily removable extrinsic stains on the outer layer of the tooth, or more stubborn intrinsic stains in the inner structure of the tooth.

• 7

  Get a professional internal bleaching treatment. During the treatment, your dentist will insert a bleaching agent inside the tooth via a small hole. The bleach is removed after one week, and the hole is re-sealed using a tooth-colored filling. It may need to be repeated until the desired result is achieved. (This process is only suitable for those who have undergone root canal treatment to remove the nerves inside the tooth.)

• 8

  Cover the gray tooth with a crown or veneer. If whitening treatments are unsuitable or ineffective, your dentist may recommend disguising the discoloration by fitting a thin layer of tooth-colored material, usually porcelain, over the problem tooth.