Jul
Here at Portland Dental our team of dentists commonly use fillings to repair small to modest sized cavities. Even though a filling is intended to last for a long time, it’s not unheard for the pervasive activity of bacteria to weaken the cement and cause a filling to slowly go bad.
Generally, the older and larger a filling is, the more likely it is to develop a problem. There are a few common symptoms to look out for if you suspect one of your fillings is going bad. Identifying a bad filling early, will greatly reduce your odds of suffering further complications.
A bad filling on the biting surface of the tooth might give you a sharp pain when biting down or chewing. At the same time, a lingual filling near your tongue, you might feel it develop an edge or a change in texture. If pervasive bacteria have worked their way between the filling and the healthy enamel of the tooth it might develop a light shade of gray in the nearby enamel.
A Portland Dental dentist might be able to simply replace the filling with a slightly larger one. If too much enamel has been compromised, they might recommend replacing the enamel layer of the tooth with a crown.
If you suspect one of your fillings is going bad, you should not delay in calling Portland Dental’s office in Portland, Oregon at (503) 221-8123 to schedule an appointment.