Sangil Station Dental Clinic: An Old Gold Filling Fell Out — The Same Symptom, but a Completely Different Outcome. What Made the Difference?

Hello.

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

When treating patients,

there are moments that feel truly unfortunate.

“While I was eating, my gold filling suddenly fell out!”

They came in with the same startled expression,

“Fortunately, we can save the tooth and keep using it~”

“Oh... you came in too late. This one has to be extracted.”

They came in with the same symptom,

but the outcome was completely different...

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Why does such a difference happen?

Today, I’d like to share the decisive difference based on a real case of a patient whose old gold filling fell out.

First case: a patient who came in with a gold filling that had a hole in it Sangil Station Dental Clinic, old gold filling fell out

When the patient first came in,

the gold filling on the upper right molar had fallen out.

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When I took the gold filling and examined it,

the signs of age were obvious.

After withstanding chewing forces for a long time,

the surface of the gold filling had worn down,

and there was a clear hole in it.

240812 Sangil Station Dental Clinic, old gold filling fell out

When I looked inside the mouth,

the situation was more serious than expected.

Through that small hole in the gold filling,

food debris had been slowly getting in,

and the tooth beneath the restoration had decayed severely.

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Naturally, the patient hoped dearly that it could be reattached or saved.

I also make “saving the natural tooth” my number one treatment principle,

so I carefully tried to remove the decay in hopes of saving it somehow.

Crunch...

But unfortunately,

the tooth had already decayed too much.

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As soon as the decay was removed,

the remaining crown portion of the tooth

collapsed helplessly,

like a sandcastle.

To make matters worse,

there was even a dark inflammatory pocket at the root tip.

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In cases like this, even if you forcefully try to save the tooth,

the chance of trouble occurring again soon is very high.

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In the end, to reduce the patient’s hardship and ensure a reliable prognosis,

regrettably,

we proceeded with extraction and an implant.

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We performed bone grafting

to firmly reinforce the jawbone that had been damaged by inflammation,

and placed the implant.

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Then, after quietly waiting 5 months until the bone and implant had firmly fused together as one,

only then were we able to make a strong new tooth.

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Second case: a patient whose other gold filling fell out again 8 months later Sangil Station Dental Clinic, old gold filling fell out

Eight months after the implant treatment went well...

the patient visited our clinic again.

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This time, the gold filling on the lower left molar,

the opposite side,

had simply popped out.

Perhaps because of the painful memory of the last extraction,

the patient looked extremely worried, asking,

“Will I have to get this pulled again...?”

When I carefully examined the empty space where it had fallen out,

there was indeed black decay progressing inside the tooth.

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But...

a careful check of the X-ray and oral condition showed that

this tooth could fortunately be saved without extraction.

The crucial difference from the previous case was the presence or absence of a hole on the surface of the gold filling.

At this point,

you may wonder,

“If there wasn’t even a hole, why did the inside decay?”

This is one of the natural changes that can happen when a restoration has been used for a long time.

As time passes, the adhesive that had firmly bonded

the tooth and the gold filling together

slowly dissolves away in saliva.

Through the tiny gap left behind as the adhesive disappears,

saliva and decay-causing bacteria seep in,

and decay slowly progressed from the inside.

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The very fortunate part was that,

unlike the first case,

food debris was not directly entering through a hole,

which would have been the worst-case scenario.

Thanks to that,

the inside of the tooth had not been severely damaged

to the point of crumbling helplessly,

and the bone around the root could remain clean without inflammation.

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There was decay, but because the tooth root was still strong,

we performed root canal treatment to clean the contaminated canal inside the tooth.

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After carefully removing and disinfecting the contaminated nerve tissue over 4 sessions,

this time we restored it with zirconia,

a strong material that is less likely to develop holes,

and finished it firmly.

Same “falling out,” different outcome... Why? Sangil Station Dental Clinic, old gold filling fell out

The reason the two patients’ treatment results were so different

was the presence or absence of a hole on the surface of the gold filling.

Sangil Station Dental Clinic, old gold filling fell out

Gold is a material that is quite good because its properties are similar to those of teeth,

but after enduring chewing forces for many years,

it can naturally wear down and develop holes.

If there is a hole, as in the first case,

food and bacteria continuously enter through the gap,

causing serious damage to the tooth from the inside;

if there is no hole, as in the second case,

it is often simply a matter of the adhesive reaching the end of its lifespan and the filling falling out, so the internal tooth is more likely to remain relatively intact.

Just because a gold filling suddenly falls out,

it does not mean you must automatically get an implant.

As in the second case I introduced today...

if you come in at the right time,

it is often possible to save and keep your own tooth.

My number one treatment principle is always “saving the natural tooth.”

If there is even the slightest possibility, I will not give up easily.

Carefully examining, and examining again... that is my role.

Do not miss the signals sent by an old gold filling, and please visit us anytime.

I will be your family dentist for life and help protect your strong dental health!

Thank you~

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Sangil Station Dental Clinic, old gold filling fell out, the same symptom but a completely different outcome. What made the difference?

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| This post was written directly by Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information in compliance with Article 56, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Advertising Act. The provided information is for reference only, and we recommend that you visit a medical institution and receive guidance from medical professionals for symptom assessment and the correct method of care. All procedures and surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve possible side effects depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please make your decision after sufficient consultation with the medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of the actual patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under identical conditions. |