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July 2012
Dr Gerhard Steenkamp
A Tooth of many
colours
All pets’ teeth are white as soon as they have erupted. We often
fondly refer to them as their pearly whites. With age, as in the case of humans, teeth get a
yellowish colour. This is a normal physiological process and owners should not be alarmed about
this.
There are however various colour changes that a tooth can undergo
which should concern you as owner. Some of the discolouration is restricted to what is
deposited onto the tooth and others are from within. Here follows some of the more common
discolorations:
Yellowish-brown even black
 Plaque is a white velvety material that accumulates on teeth within hours
after eruption, brushing or even professional cleaning. Should this deposit not be brushed
away daily, it gets incorporated with inorganic salts, mostly calcium. As soon as this happens
the plaque is converted to calculus. Calculus is a deposit on the tooth surface and is usually
yellowish brown colour.
As the bacterial organisation within the plaque
(on top of the calculus) changes, so the colour of the plaque/calculus may also change. In cases
where there is active bleeding in the oral cavity, the
calculus may turn black, due to the overgrowth of bacteria that thrives on this blood rich
environment. These cases should be worked out to find out what the underlying condition/s are that
may cause this spontaneous bleeding.
Yellow to
yellowish-brown in the absence of calculus
 Both enamel (outer layer of the
tooth) as well as the dentin (inner layer of tooth) has a structural component called
hydroxyapatite.
There is a type of antibiotic that, if given to a
late pregnant bitch or very young puppy, will bind irreversibly to the hydroxyapatite. This
combination has a yellow discolouration at first and as time progresses it may become
yellowish-brown.
Pink-red
 This usually is indicative of either
bleeding in the pulp canal (the core of the tooth where blood vessels and nerves are) or where
the tooth has started destroying itself through a process of resorption.
In the latter the tooth substance (dentinal wall)
is eaten from the inside of the tooth and hence the pulp is getting ever closer towards the outside
of the tooth. This gives the tooth a pinkish haze. Radiography is usually required to understand
the process going on in such a tooth and if there is some remedy for it. Resorptive lesions are far
more common in cats that dogs.
Blueish-Grey
 When a tooth has undergone a traumatic event, like being struck by a golf club;
or if the dog runs into a goal post; it causes concussion of this tooth. At first the pulp
will bleed if the trauma was severe enough (at this point the tooth may be pink-red as
above).
The dentin has a tubular structure and with the
bleeding and inflammation inside the canal, the blood gets forced into the tubules. As the blood
gets broken down by the body and it stays stuck in the tubules, it undergoes a colour change to
blue and eventually grey. In teeth of the upper jaw (maxilla) there is usually an accumulation of
this discolouration at the crown tip.
This is not as obvious in the lower jaw. Teeth
with this type of discolouration should be evaluated for viability and treated if they have
died,
Should you see any of these changes in your pet,
make sure to get to your vet as soon as possible so that he/she may assist your pet to regain its
healthy smile.
Till next time
Dr. Gerhard Steenkamp
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