When I lived in Ohio I had a dentist that was doing composite fillings 18 years ago. I haven’t had any problems with them until now. I had my first visit with a dentist since I moved to Georgia and she says that three of the filling on my bottom teeth are leaky and need to be replaced. Is this something I need to have done right away? Thanks – Matthew K. from Albany, GA
Matthew – If a gap forms between the tooth and the filling, bacteria can enter the area and cause decay. A leaky filling does need to be fixed, but it isn’t urgent.
Replacing the entire filling, as your dentist suggested, gives the composite a better seal on your teeth. There are better materials available now for composite fillings, compared to when you first received the fillings.
One advantage of composite fillings is that they bond to the tooth. If decay gets around the filling it’s easy to see. Amalgam fillings, sometimes referred to as silver fillings, often have decay beneath them. Unfortunately, the decay beneath amalgam fillings may go unnoticed until the filling is removed or replaced.
This blog post is sponsored by Metairie cosmetic dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.