A well-designed dental restoration or crown will make it easy for you to forget that it isn’t a natural tooth in the first place. On the whole, this is a great attribute, but it can become problematic if your restoration begins to surreptitiously fail.
While crowns and fillings are durable, and they should last for years, you may notice some oral health problems when they do finally begin to break down:
Dental Sensitivity
If you notice the development of tooth pain and sensitivity around your restoration, this may be a sign that your tooth is not properly protected, and your restoration is not adequately sealed. In these cases, dental bacteria and debris can reach sensitive tooth layers—so your tooth is actually at additional risk of becoming infected.
Changes in Bite Alignment
Through day-to-day biting, chewing, dental grinding, and exposure to food and drink, our restorations will wear down and change shape over time. This becomes a problem when it starts to affect how your top and bottom teeth align. Changes in dental alignment will put additional stress on your temporomandibular joints. Additionally, adjacent natural teeth can become damaged as bite problems worsen.
Visible Damage
Your tooth can also start to look different as your restoration falls apart. Mercury fillings are known for this; amalgam seeps out of the restoration and into the tooth as the restoration degrades. It is also possible that you’ll see dental debris build-up along the edges of a failing restoration. New dark spots on your teeth can indicate the need for upgraded restorations.
Replacing your outdated restoration with a new crown will eliminate these issues, while simultaneously giving your tooth a fresh, clean, and healthy appearance. Give our Tinley Park dentists a call to learn more!