When does a cervical filling have to be renewed?
The transition between the tooth enamel (or dentin) and the filling material is particularly susceptible to caries and acids from food.Therefore, regular and correct tooth brushing is important to prevent so-called “secondary caries“. As soon as caries occurs, the cervical filling must be renewed. Excessive consumption of nicotine and caffeine can also contribute to discoloration of the cervical filling, which must be renewed due to a conspicuous, visible color change.
However, this problem only occurs with very old plastic fillings. In principle, the renewal of a cervical filling is not a problem. The old, defective or discolored cervical filling is removed by means of rotating instruments (the drill) and the new filling is prepared or conditioned for the insertion of the new filling material.
Then the filling is inserted, cured and polished at the neck of the tooth with the respective dental filling material (above at “Expiry of the cervical filling”). The basic requirement for the long durability of a cervical filling, in addition to regular check-ups of the cervical filling by the dentist, is a good oral hygiene of the patient, as well as abstaining from excessive nicotine and caffeine consumption. If these conditions are met, the cervical filling can be preserved for several years (up to 10).
