When Is It Time To Replace A Filling?

When Is It Time To Replace A Filling?

Dental fillings fail due to a number of factors. Replacing them as soon as possible can save you pain, potential tooth loss, and a lot of money.

My patients often ask me, how long does a filling last? The short answer is: it depends on the type of filling and your own biology, as every patient is different. Even teeth with fillings are subject to cavity-causing bacteria, as well as daily wear and tear, so most fillings will need to be replaced eventually.

Decay and fractures often don’t hurt, so it is important that you follow up at least once a year with your dentist to detect any problematic fillings before they cause an infection or fracture.

Early treatment of recurrent decay could save you from pain and tooth loss, or at least prevent you from needing more extensive and costly treatment in the future.

Signs That a Filling Needs to be Replaced



While fillings can occasionally break, fall out, or cause you pain, the signs of a failing restoration are usually not so obvious. Once the “margins” or edges of a filling have broken down and allowed leakage of bacteria, recurrent decay can creep underneath and grow undetected until it leads to an infection of the nerve tissue.

In other cases, a crack can form on the edge of a tooth after years of chewing forces. Again, decay can form in this gap, or worse, the entire tooth could fracture, sometimes leading to loss of the tooth.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions about today’s topic. Thanks for reading!