“How many times can a filling be replaced?”
I am a 36 year old male. I want to know how many times can a filling be replaced?
8 Answers
Each time a dental filling is replaced, more tooth structure must be removed and the filling depth will move closer to the pulp, which are the inner nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth. There is no set limit of times a filling can be replaced on a tooth. However if the amount of remaining tooth structure is reduced enough, replacing the filling may no longer be an option and instead a root canal and/or crown may be necessary instead.
Great question. A filling or restoration can be replaced as deemed necessary. For example, if there is decay or fracture.
Take care!
Take care!
The feasibility of replacing a filling is dependent upon the size of the filling and how much normal tooth structure is left to withstand the biting forces involved.
No limit to how many times a filling can be done. But there are exceptions so your dentist would evaluate each tooth to see if the tooth structures is adequate for another filling since the tooth can be weekend from multiple fillings in some
cases.
Joseph R Cohen, DDS
cases.
Joseph R Cohen, DDS
It depends...if you're a grinder, fillings may not last as long. Fillings normally could last from 7-15 years.
General rule of thumb, the larger and deeper a filling, the fewer times it can be replaced.
Hello,
How many times can a filling be replaced? The short answer is as many as needed or indefinitely. The issue with this response is that a lot of the time when a filling is replaced the filling gets bigger. Remember there is a reason the filling is being replaced and that reason is usually decay underneath of it. As the filling gets bigger the tooth gets less and less. At some point it is not helpful to do fillings anymore as the tooth has become more filling then tooth. At this point dentist start to consider a crown. A crown will hold everything together.
Replacing fillings also has a lot to do with the size and location of the initial filling. If the filling started out as a small cavity and a small filling was done on the biting surface of the tooth, then the second filling can usually be very small as well. However, this is not usually the case. If the filling starts out large and it is located between the teeth down by the gum line then it may not be a simple filling anymore. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
How many times can a filling be replaced? The short answer is as many as needed or indefinitely. The issue with this response is that a lot of the time when a filling is replaced the filling gets bigger. Remember there is a reason the filling is being replaced and that reason is usually decay underneath of it. As the filling gets bigger the tooth gets less and less. At some point it is not helpful to do fillings anymore as the tooth has become more filling then tooth. At this point dentist start to consider a crown. A crown will hold everything together.
Replacing fillings also has a lot to do with the size and location of the initial filling. If the filling started out as a small cavity and a small filling was done on the biting surface of the tooth, then the second filling can usually be very small as well. However, this is not usually the case. If the filling starts out large and it is located between the teeth down by the gum line then it may not be a simple filling anymore. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
A filling needs to be replaced if there is a recurrent decay on the tooth or the filing came out or chipped.
