The main reason of replacement is a leaky filling. A leaky filling is a filling which does not fit snugly against your tooth on all surfaces. Any gaps between the filling and your tooth allows saliva, bacteria and food particles to enter. If the filling does not prevent infection from entering the tooth, cavities will reappear.

Even the most ideally placed filling made of modern materials, under the influence of the environment of the oral cavity (constant temperature changes, physical and chemical stress) will partially wear off, shrink and will no longer be guaranteed to protect the tooth from further cavities.

Very often, old fillings do not bother for a long time, whole chronic cavities develop underneath, which proceeds without pain and discomfort. The patient understands that the filling has failed at the time when root canal treatment or even tooth extraction is already required.

This does not mean that all fillings need to be replaced strictly after 5-6 years. But you must understand that a tooth with a filling requires special attention and at the first indication it needs to be replaced.

Do not postpone regular examinations ‘until later’ in order to protect the teeth from further damage.

Did you know that old fillings have to be replaced?