Dental fillings can harm neighboring teeth
Trauma caused by dentists to the neighboring teeth during filling a decayed tooth can do more harm to other normal teeth in the long run. The new study showed some dentists are more likely than others to have patients who develop new decay after a dental filling.
‘This study highlights the fact that dental intervention can cause more harm than good’, said Damien Walmsley, spokesperson of the British Dental Association.
It was reported that 6 out of 10 teeth which were next to a filling had decayed after 5 years and almost 30% of these would need filling.
‘Once a dentist has gone into a tooth, they may accidentally damage another tooth. Dentists need to keep up to date with the latest techniques to ensure they don’t damage other teeth when they do a filling,’ said Walmsley, also a dental expert at the Birmingham University.
The patients should continue to have fillings as there is no other solution when a tooth gets decayed. However, the dentist must be careful with their approach and do everything possible, including minimal intervention, to prevent damaging a normal (non-decayed) teeth.
Written by: Dr. Ajay Sati.
