Gangdong-gu Old Dental Prosthetics: When Is It Time to Replace Them? If They Don’t Hurt, Do You Really Need to Change Them?

Hello.

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

For crowns or bridges that were treated more than 10 years ago,

if there’s no particular pain, it’s easy to think, “I can probably keep using it.”

But the inside of the prosthetic may be slowly breaking down without us noticing.

That’s why today I’ll explain why old prosthetics need regular checkups,

and what can happen if you miss the right time to replace them, with real cases.

How long do prosthetics usually last? Gangdong-gu old dental prosthetics: When is it time to replace them? If they don’t hurt, do you really need to change them?

Usually, we say the average lifespan of dental prosthetics such as crowns and bridges is about 8 to 10 years.

Of course, this is not an absolute figure.

Depending on how carefully you brush your teeth every day and how consistently you go for regular checkups,

some people use them for more than 15 years, while others run into problems in just 5 years.

What matters is that once 10 years have passed, the adhesive that held the prosthetic to the tooth begins to gradually dissolve.

Through that gap, bacteria can enter, making it very likely that a tiny space will form between the prosthetic and the gums.

Do I really need to replace it if it doesn’t hurt? Gangdong-gu old dental prosthetics: When is it time to replace them? If they don’t hurt, do you really need to change them?

The most difficult thing about prosthetic treatment is that when a problem develops inside,

it is very hard for the patient to notice it on their own.

Why is that?

1. Limitations of X-rays

Teeth covered with gold or porcelain appear like this white color even on an X-ray.

In other words, the inside cannot be seen through.

So it can be difficult to accurately tell how far decay has progressed inside.

2. Why patients often don’t feel pain

In many cases, root canal treatment is performed before prosthetic treatment.

Since the tooth has no nerve,

even if decay progresses all the way to the root tip,

people often do not feel pain and leave it untreated.

Then when is the best time to replace it?

As mentioned earlier, the inside of a prosthetic is hard to see even on an X-ray, so you need to carefully watch for outward signs.

If the gum line has turned dark or tiny holes have formed in the prosthetic,

there is a high chance that decay has already progressed deeply inside.

If you leave these signs untreated, eventually the tooth may need to be removed,

so even if there is no particular pain, it is better to check the condition in advance through regular examinations.

A case of a patient who came in because a prosthetic came off Gangdong-gu old dental prosthetics: When is it time to replace them? If they don’t hurt, do you really need to change them?

This is a case of a patient who recently visited our clinic.

A 10-year-old prosthetic on the upper right molar suddenly popped off, so the patient came in.

251223

At first glance, it looked fine, but at the site where the prosthetic came off,

the two underlying teeth were already blackened by decay.

251223

In particular, the premolar was so badly damaged that the material filled in after root canal treatment was clearly visible.

251223

In the end, the inflammation had spread all the way to the root tip and the tooth had become loose,

so unfortunately it was difficult to save this tooth. After extraction, we proceeded with an implant along with bone grafting.

My molar was in this condition, doesn’t that mean the front teeth have problems too?

After directly checking the internal condition of the molar area, the patient asked whether the front bridge, which had also been in use for more than 10 years, might be a concern too.

251223

When we examined the mouth... we could see that the bridge margin line was slightly darkened, and the gums were also quite swollen.

From the radiograph, the prosthetic margin area appeared dark,

so we judged that there was a high possibility of secondary decay and decided to remove the bridge.

As expected... due to secondary decay, the underlying teeth had become significantly worn down.

251230

In particular, the left front tooth (#21) had decay so deep that almost no crown structure remained.

The tooth had become too weak to save with a post, so extraction was ultimately decided.

260102

Fortunately, the right front tooth (#11) had inflammation progressing at the root tip,

but there was no mobility and a fair amount of tooth structure remained, so we decided to try saving it with root canal treatment.

260109

The patient wanted to improve the shape and color of the front teeth while taking this opportunity,

so we made a zirconia bridge connecting a total of 6 teeth (#13~23).

251223(before) 260312(after)

As in this patient’s case, many prosthetic teeth show no pain even when the inside has severely decayed.

By the time a tooth breaks or the prosthetic falls out and the patient visits the clinic,

it is often already too late to save the tooth, which is always regrettable.

If you have had a prosthetic for a long time or if the gum margin has turned dark,

we recommend checking the internal condition through a regular examination before a bigger problem develops.

Thank you.^^

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Gangdong-gu old dental prosthetics: When is it time to replace them? If they don’t hurt, do you really need to change them?

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02-481-4278

| 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 Services Act. The information provided is for reference only, and we recommend visiting a medical institution and receiving guidance from medical staff for symptom assessment and accurate care methods. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve possible side effects depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please make a decision after充分 consultation with the medical staff. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of actual patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |