When Should a Filling or Crown Be Replaced?
The decision follows the condition of the restoration rather than its age.
Concrete reasons to replace
- New decay at the margin, found on examination or radiograph
- Fracture, cracking or loss of part of it
- A ledge at the margin where floss catches
- Persistent sensitivity or pain on biting
- Odour or gum inflammation around a crown
- A loose crown, beneath which decay may be advancing
When replacement is not needed
A sound filling need not be replaced for age, and a well-sealed amalgam without decay beneath need not be changed. Each replacement removes a little sound structure as the old restoration comes out — the cavity grows, walls thin and the tooth becomes more fragile.
What determines how long a restoration lasts
The biggest factor is the patient's own habits: night-time clenching loads restorations far beyond normal chewing force and causes repeated fracture — where the answer is a night guard rather than another replacement.
Getting Here, Booking and Emergencies from Altindag
Route, booking and emergency arrangements for patients from Altindag.
Getting here from Altindag
Altındağ lies in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya; Muratpaşa is one of the central districts, about 2 kilometres from the clinic. We also see patients from neighbouring areas that share the route from Altindag, such as Bahçelievler, Demircikara, Fener, Haşimişcan. You can ask for the location on WhatsApp when travelling from Altindag.
Appointments for Altindag
At this distance, splitting treatment into visits is no problem for patients from Altındağ, and attending reviews is easy too. As with patients from Muratpasa generally, appointments for families from Altindag can be scheduled consecutively.
Emergencies from Altindag
Setting out from Altındağ at night is quick; come without delay in an emergency, and calling as you leave means preparation is done in advance. For patients coming from Dental Clinic in Altindag, the clinic is open 24/7 and in an emergency the order is set by severity rather than arrival time. For spreading facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or toothache with fever, go to the nearest emergency department.
Floss and Interdental Brushes: Which, and When?
A brush reaches three surfaces of a tooth; it cannot reach the two where it contacts its neighbours. A significant share of decay and gum disease begins on exactly those unreached surfaces. Interdental cleaning is therefore not extra diligence but the missing half of cleaning.
Floss or an interdental brush?
The choice depends on how wide the space between the teeth is:
- Where the teeth are in tight contact: floss — a brush will not enter and forcing it injures the gum
- Where the gums have receded and spaces have opened: an interdental brush is far more effective
- Under bridges and around implants: superfloss or a special interdental brush
- With braces: a floss threader or an interdental brush
Getting the size right
Interdental brushes come in different diameters, and the right size fills the space without forcing. Too small and it does not touch the surfaces; too large and it injures the gum. Different areas of the mouth may need different sizes, and which to use where is determined at the examination.
Using floss correctly
Floss should not be snapped down between two teeth; it is eased through with a gentle side-to-side sawing motion. Once past the contact point, wrap it in a C shape against one tooth, slide it gently into the gum crevice and sweep upwards; then repeat against the neighbouring tooth. Simply passing it down and out does not clean the surfaces.
Bleeding in the first days is normal
In someone who has not cleaned between the teeth before, bleeding is expected in the first days; it indicates inflammation there. With regular use it falls away markedly within a week or two. If it does not, or if it persists from one site, there is a local cause: an overhanging filling margin, a broken tooth edge or a deep pocket.
