When Should Dental Work Be Replaced?

If you have had a cavity filled, a crown installed, or dental implant work done and more than a few years have passed, there is a chance that you should have this work inspected by your dentist. This kind of dental work is built to last as long as possible, but a number of factors can cause older dental work to fail, leading to further complications to your oral health.

While the degradation or failure of some dental work may be noticeable, sometimes compromised dental work is not so obvious. To help our Marco Island, Florida residents maintain the best in oral health, we offer you this rundown of signs to determine whether your previous dental work might need repair, adjustment or replacement.    

Dental Fillings

Dental fillings need to be replaced when they break, fall out, lose their seal to the surrounding tooth, or are subject to a resurgence of decay in the surrounding enamel or dentin. Signs that one of your fillings may be compromised include:

• Sensitivity to temperature, sweet foods, or pressure.
• A sensation of specific tooth pressure when biting down on food.
• Floss that tends to shred when pulled between a particular set of teeth.
• Seeing holes, dark spots, chips, or a crack on a tooth.
• Sharp or throbbing pain in an individual tooth.
• A rough surface on a particular tooth.
• Chronic toothache.

Any of these signs could indicate that a filling is broken, wearing out, or otherwise compromised and should be inspected by a dentist as quickly as possible to protect the further long-term health of your teeth. A dentist will likely be able to spot the problem visually but may need to take x-rays to fully gauge the status of the filling.  

Dental Crowns

A dental examination is the best means of determining whether your crown needs replacing, adjustment or repair, though sometimes problems with a crown become readily apparent to the patient. Crowns can and do fall out, and some of the signs listed for fillings—such as sensitivity and chronic pain—could also indicate a problem with a crown. Swelling of the gum area, and/or a receding gum line adjacent to a crown is also an indicator, as bacteria tends to collect more readily on gum surfaces near crowns than natural teeth. In general, your dentist should carefully inspect any crown that is more than a decade old, and even earlier for those suffering from bruxism (teeth grinding).

Dental Implants

Dental implants can last for decades and have a 95% success rate, but certain factors—autoimmune diseases, smoking, bruxism, infections, insufficient underlying bone, and poor engineering of some older implants, among other factors—can make implant failure more likely. Signs of implant failure are typically obvious and include:

• Severe pain and discomfort.
• Swelling and inflammation of the surrounding gum tissue.
• Gum recession around the implant.
• Difficulty chewing and biting. 
• Loose or wobbly implant.

Dentures

As with dental implants, problems with complete or partial dentures are readily apparent. Whether by accident or too much pressure, broken teeth and chips or cracks in the denture teeth will be noticed. But there are numerous other signs that your dentures may need an adjustment or repair. These include:

• Gum irritation after the acclimatization period.
• Noticeable changes to the fit.
• Noticeable changes to your cheek or jawline.
• Speech pattern changes.
• Staining and/or persistent odors.
• Difficulty chewing.
• Pressure sores.
• Other oral sores.
• Discomfort.

Contact Island Tower for All of Your Aesthetic Dental Needs

If you experience any signs that your previous dental work may be in need of adjustment or replacement, the dental care professionals at Island Tower Dentistry on Marco Island, Florida stand ready to evaluate the work and come up with the most appropriate correction. To learn more about how Island Tower Dentistry can resolve your dental issues and maintain the best in your oral health, contact us today at 239-394-1004 to make an appointment!