Heart break! The uber painful experience of having a crack in your old amalgam-filled tooth.
Have you ever experienced this?
Cracks occur because amalgam filling material, while super strong and long-lasting, traditionally wasn't glued to surrounding tooth structure (it is these days though!). Over many years of chewing, the walls bend and flex independently of the filling. As they're usually thin walls they eventually fatigue and develop cracks.
Two types of cracks can develop:
The first runs between cusps (the pointy part of the tooth) and along the base of the cusp wall. In this situation, often a piece of tooth falls off when eating something chewy like a bread roll or a lolly.
The second type of crack grows towrads the nerve in the middle of the tooth. This usually causes more pain and can become more serious as the nerve is at risk of dying. Or worse, the whole tooth splitting!
Oral health professionals proactively look for cracks at your dental checkup. They note them, discuss them with you, and recommend either to monitor them if they're not too serious. Or treat them if they look like they'll cause trouble in the near future.
That way you get control over when and how you have your dentistry done. It's usually cheaper. And it's better for your health and smile.
NB: this information is for general guidance purposes only and doesn't replace the professional advice provided by your dentist for your specific situation.
By Dr Christine May (Oral Health Content Writer @beFaceWell)