Build ups

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Build ups

Richelle

October 2, 2009 1:49 PM

Hi Dr. Choo

Why would a dentist ask to replace silver fillings with white ones and then do build ups on them for a crown when the teeth were not hurting?

Thanks Richelle

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Dr. Sue-Ann Choo

October 2, 2009 7:54 PM

When dentists replace an old filling, it is usually because the filling is wearing down, chipping, and/or has new decay underneath of it. I personally do not replace silver fillings unless it has these criteria, and not just because they are old silver fillings.

When a filling is replaced, often the new filling encompasses a large portion of the tooth which can potentially weaken the remaining portions of the tooth. It's like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle trying to hold together. In these cases, a crown is recommended to cover over the entire tooth and filling to prevent the tooth from further fracture. If you do not crown teeth with large fillings, the tooth could fracture and lead to a root canal treatment or you could lose the tooth entirely.

Lastly, we crown teeth that are not hurting because if it hurt, it would need a root canal treatment, then a crown or an extraction. Pain in dentistry is a bad sign, so you never want to wait until it hurts because that's when it really gets costly.

Dr Choo