How to know if your filling might be failing

Surrey dental fillings last, generally, from 7 to 10 years if they’re resin, and about 15 if they’re silver. These numbers vary depending on where the filling is, how much use it gets (a lot in the molars) and how well a patient takes care of their fillings–we see you, ice crunchers!

While 1 to 2 decades is a good long time, it’s not a lifetime. So at some point, you’re likely to experience a failing filling. How do you tell if your filling is failing? That’s what we’re discussing this month.

Your filling might be failing if…

• You experience hot and/or cold sensitivity in a tooth with a filling
• You can see a separation between the filling and the tooth
• You notice discolouration in tooth with a filling
• You feel pain in a tooth with a filling

If you experience any of these situations, contact your Surrey dental centre as soon as possible. One of our dentists will be able to confirm if a filling is indeed failing, through an oral exam or dental x-rays. Addressing this quickly will help prevent further damage being done to your tooth. If a bad filling is ignored, the tooth will continue to deteriorate and be more expensive to fix..

Treatment for a failed filling is generally a simple replacement. Sometimes you can make a different choice on what type of filling you’d like, if there’s enough tooth left to allow for it.

If a failed filling has been left in that state for some time and the tooth has continued to decay, other treatment options may be necessary to save it,  such as a crown or root canal. If it can’t be saved, then extractions, bridges, and implants all become viable treatment options. However, it’s better–and cheaper–to catch it quickly and let us fix it a.s.a.p.

Need a dentist to check your fillings? Riverside Heights Dental Clinic in North Surrey is your local family dentist and part of this community for 15 years. We are conveniently located near the Guildford Mall & Fraser Heights. Give us a call: 604-584-2535, or email us at riversideheights@shaw.ca