What you should know about dental fillings abroad

- A filling may be installed once and for all - at least in theory. A well-established filling may stay in the carefully purified from decay tooth even for decades. But these are rare cases, because most fillings must be replaced by a new one after five - ten years. It is due mainly to the fact that the material from which they are made, rubs off, crushes and washes. This creates leaks that lead to a loosening of the filling. The unmatched filling must be replaced - otherwise it will fall out itself, and decay will develop in the tissues of the tooth.

- A filling must be replaced, when caries appears again. The delay in the exchange can lead to a considerable damage of the tooth and to the development of hypersensitivity. When the tooth begins to respond to stimuli such as temperature, or taste, that is a sign it is high time to replace the filling, because tooth decay has led to the unveiling of a sensitive nerve. If the tooth hurts when biting, there may be a disease of the nerve. The replacement of a filling should not be delaied if the tooth is chipped. Unfortunately, you will not avoid drilling during the procedure. Regardless of whether the filling is replaced because of secondary caries development or just for aesthetic reasons, a dentist must clean the walls of the tooth in each case in order to avoid the risk of caries development and to ensure good adhesion of the new filling. An alternative to drilling may be purification by air abrasion. It is possible, however, only when the caries is not big and the patient is terrified of dentist's drill.

- A very durable filling material is amalgam, but dentists are moving away from the use of such fillings because of aesthetic reasons. One of the most enduring are modern-type fillings: inlay, onlay and overlay -  special fillings prepared by a dental technician from ceramic, based on impression taken from an individual patient on a particular tooth. This allows for the perfect adherence of the filling to the tooth surface. A filling of this type can withstand up to 30 years. Most composite fillings are not very durable and if they are leaking, they should be replaced every three - five years. But not only the material of the filling determins for how long it will last, but also the extent and accuracy of the purification of the tooth and regularity in maintaining oral hygiene. To maintain a filling as long as possible, you need to take care of your teeth thoroughly: regular cleaning, control visits at the dentist's every half year. 

- After teeht whitening, fillings should be replaced - mainly for aesthetic reasons. It is very often the case that the color of the whitened teeth differ from the color of the fillings. Fillings that do not need to be exchanged, can be covered with a layer of composite, whose color would match the current shade of teeth.