I had a tooth that had been recessed for years due to an accident. That had caused it to be darker than the other teeth. I was looking for a cheap way to fix this and my dentist suggested Crest Whitestrips. I wore it for a little over a week with no problems, but then started having pain in the recessed tooth. It began to have sensitivity to hot and cold. I stopped using the whitestrips but the pain didn’t stop. I went to see my dentist and he believes I need a root canal treatment. Could Crest Whitestrips have caused this? If so, should my dentist have warned me that this would be a possibility?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

When I first heard this question, I was surprised because, generally, Crest Whitestrips are so weak that it would be hard for them to do much damage. However, as I’ve thought about your situation and the damaged tooth, it is possible. If the tooth is recessed it is likely already irritated or has some exposed dentin. The whitening strips could have pushed that tooth over the edge. 

I am a little surprised your dentist suggested the Crest Whitestrips for a couple of reasons. One, it is dangerous for a patient to have teeth whitening done without supervision from a professional who can keep an eye on things. Second, the type of discoloration you have is not from stains so teeth whitening is not the solution. Those two things combined make me wonder if your dentist has a clear understanding of how teeth whitening works. 

As for whether or not you need a root canal treatment, that would be hard to diagnose over blog post. The sensitivity to cold doesn’t bother me too much, but the sensitivity to hot tells me that it may not be able to heal on its own. You are perfectly within your rights to get a second opinion from another dentist who can examine you. If you do, I would suggest getting it done by an endodontist. They are root canal specialists. After the pain in the tooth is taken care of, you will want to see an expert cosmetic dentist in order to get the discoloration dealt with. They can give you all your options after examining the tooth.  

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.