How to diagnose caries under a filling?
Caries under a filling cannot be detected by a blunt inspection. The only way to detect so-called secondary caries is X-ray diagnostics. In the majority of cases, bite wing diagnostics is used to detect caries between the teeth.
It is almost impossible for the affected person to detect caries under a filling. It only becomes noticeable when the filling is loosened by caries or even completely detached and falls off. If there is caries under the filling, the adhesive layer with which the filling is fixed is loosened by its progression.
This means that the filling is no longer firmly attached to the tooth. If the filling has fallen out, the defect is visible and the patient can see the caries. The area under the filling usually appears yellow, light brownish or dark brown discolored and can be painful and/or sensitive to cold. In this case, it is best to make an appointment with the dentist immediately, in order to treat the defect and remove the caries as soon as possible.
How to recognize caries under a crown?
Caries is invisible under a crown in most cases, because the crown covers the entire tooth. Even in an X-ray image, caries cannot be detected in most cases, because the crown material absorbs the X-rays almost completely and therefore nothing of the inside of the crown is shown on the X-ray film. Only when the caries reaches the area under the crown would it be visible on the X-ray film.
For the dentist, the defect under the crown is only noticeable when it becomes loose or the crown margins no longer seal tightly. When touching with the probe it is possible to get under the crown margin, which must not happen if the restoration is sufficient. Therapeutically, the crown must then be removed to treat the caries under the crown.
The caries can be so deeply advanced that only a root canal treatment can save the tooth. In this case, a post should also be made after the root canal filling to stabilize the weakened tooth. After the treatment a new crown must be made.
