Here at Hines Dentistry, your dentist, Dr. Drew Hines, routinely uses fillings to repair small cavities, chips and general areas of tooth decay. While fillings are meant to repair a tooth for a long time to come, they are still finite in lifespan. As a rule of thumb, the older and larger a filling is, the more likely it is to develop a problem.
Early detection and treatment of a bad filling will decrease your chances of suffering complications. With that in mind, your dentist offers these common symptoms to look out for if you suspect one of your fillings is going bad.
If you have a filling on the biting surface of the tooth, you might notice a sharp pain when biting down or chewing. This could be a sign of a problem. If the filling is near your tongue, you might feel a sharp edge or a change in texture.
If pervasive bacteria have worked their way between the filling and the healthy enamel of the tooth, the tooth might develop a light shade of gray in the nearby enamel. Without timely treatment, the decay could grow and cause more significant complications.
If you suspect that you have a bad filling in Charlotte, North Carolina, you should not delay in calling 704-366-3526 to have it treated and repaired at Hines Dentistry.