Dental Restorations for a Lost Filling or Crown

Dental emergencies are never convenient and when part of a tooth falls apart it’s distressing too. Try not to panic. Your Healdsburg dentist knows what to do when you have a lost filling or crown. Once you get to your dentist’s office, expect to hear about any of the following recommendations:

• Replacement filling: The age of the restoration, materials used, the size of the filling, and other factors affect how robust and long-lasting a filling is. If you have a lost filling, it could be replaced with a strong, natural-looking tooth-colored filling.
• New porcelain crown: Crowns are bonded to a tooth with the hope that they will last for decades. Unfortunately, the crown may come off because of failed bonding material, age, biting down wrong, or a blow to the mouth. A new crown can be customized to replace the old one, and a temporary can be put in place until the new restoration is ready.
• Root canal therapy: If you have had a lost filling or crown for some time without getting it treated, your tooth has been left susceptible to bacteria and food particles. It’s possible infection has set in and caused a new complication. In cases like these, root canal therapy may be necessary to stop pain and treat the tooth first. After root canal therapy is complete, a porcelain crown will be placed to protect the tooth.
• Nightguard: Sometimes dental restorations fail not because they are old or were poorly executed, but because the patient grinds and clenches their teeth. This chronic problem can lead to ongoing oral health complications like a lost filling or crown. A customized nightguard may be recommended to prevent problems like this from happening again.

Know What to Expect from a Repair for a Lost Filling or Crown

Unfortunately, when a dental restoration breaks, it doesn’t always do so neatly and may take healthy tooth enamel along with it. The tooth it lived in will be more compromised than it originally was and may require a more significant repair to fix the problem. For example, a lost filling, especially if it was a silver filling, very likely expanded, damaged, and discolored the tooth where it was encased. Fixing the lost filling is not just a matter of putting a new filling in its place. If the tooth is severely damaged and weakened and the problem area much larger than it once was, a porcelain crown may be the repair you need instead. This will strengthen the tooth as a whole, beautify it, and protect nearby teeth from deterioration too.

Cost Factors for Fixing a Lost Filling or Crown

Some people avoid the dentist even when they have an obvious emergency because they’re worried about cost. But if you don’t fix what’s wrong now, the problem will only get worse, and then you will have bigger, more costly, and more painful issues to address. Here are some of the cost factors for fixing a lost filling or crown:

• Type of repair
• Location of tooth
• Materials used
• Size of repair

Visit the Healdsburg Dentist Near Me to Fix Lost Filling or Crown

If you have a lost filling, contact Healdsburg Dental Spa in Healdsburg, California right away to report your dental emergency and schedule an appointment.