Restorative dentistry treatments are designed to repair damage to your teeth. Whether it’s as simple as a cavity or complex as an infection inside the tooth, these treatments restore your teeth back to how they should be. Pain is relieved, damage is repaired, and you can eat normally again.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Even well-made dental restorations can start to come undone after so many years of eating and drinking. Here are how several restorative dentistry treatments can have problems and what you should do about them.

– You have a loose dental implant: When it comes to replacing missing teeth, it’s hard to beat dental implants. That’s because they feature a beautiful replacement tooth on top of an artificial root. This titanium root is surgically placed in your jawbone. It gives the dental implant such durability and helps keep your jawbone strong. However, it is possible to damage your dental implant. When this happens, the replacement tooth might be loose. In bad cases, the implanted root itself has come loose.

What you should do next depends on whether the replacement or the root is the problem. If the titanium root is loose, we would refer you to a specialist. You may need a bone graft or similar oral surgery to correct it. If the replacement tooth is what’s loose, then Dr. Davenport can either repair it or place another one there at either of our Laredo, TX dental offices.

– One of your dental crowns is loose or comes right off: Dental crowns are one of the most popular and versatile restorative dentistry treatments available. These caps are made to look like a healthy version of a damaged tooth. They fit snugly over the visible part, sealing up any damage and protecting the tooth at the same time. Dental crowns are bonded to the teeth they cover. As with any type of glue, cement, or other bonding agent, it can weaken over time. Years of hot and cold drinks slightly swell and shrink the bonding agent. It can eventually give out completely. Your dental crown can get loose or come right off that tooth.

If this happens, you may be in some pain. If so, contact us immediately at either Laredo, TX location. What you’ll need is to get a new dental crown to replace the one that’s come loose or out.

– Your dental fillings have fallen out: The most common way to repair a cavity is with a dental filling. Some offices use metal amalgam, but our dentists use composite fillings. Regardless of which type you have, it was bonded to your healthy enamel. This was done so it stays in the cavity and lets you use your tooth like normal. As with dental crowns, this bonding agent can weaken over many years. But unlike crowns, you probably won’t feel it getting any looser. The first time you know there’s a problem will likely be when it falls out.

An exposed cavity can be painful. You can buy dental cement in most drugstores and use it to cover the cavity temporarily. In the end, you’ll need to get another filling placed as soon as possible. Again, call our office on Junction Drive or Winfield as soon as you can. Emergency appointments are usually available during our business hours.

– Your inlay or onlay is loose or has come off your tooth: Dental fillings are not the only restorative dentistry treatment to repair a cavity. Some dental offices use a special material to cover over the cavity. When this happens in between the cusps of your teeth, they’re called inlays. When this is done on the corner or side of your teeth, they’re called onlays. No matter what you call them, they can easily come loose and fall off your tooth.

If this happens, you should again call our offices here in Laredo, TX as soon as you can. Our dentists have found composite fillings are better for our patients. We can quickly replace the missing inlay or onlay with a tooth-colored composite filling.

– The tooth that had a root canal is hurting again: Cavities are caused by harmful bacteria. These thrive on food left behind in your mouth after you eat and drink, which is why brushing and flossing are so important to your dental health. Cavities continue to grow and get deeper if not treated. Eventually, they can break through the tooth and infect the dental pulp inside. This causes a bad toothache. Once this happens, you’ll need a root canal to remove the infection.

If that toothache returns, it’s possible that the infection has returned as well. You will need to get another root canal soon to get rid of the pain and infection. If this becomes a chronic problem with this tooth, it might need to be extracted.

If you have a dental restoration that’s giving you problems, call our Junction Drive dental office at 956-242-6745 or our Winfield office at 956-517-2695.