Repairing a Cracked Molar with an Old Silver Filling

Here is a patient’s molar with a large silver filling with multiple cracks throughout. The patient was beginning to have sensitivity when chewing food. We suspected there was a crack in the tooth. Because the filling was showing such wear and because the tooth was becoming sensitive, we recommended a crown (cap). When we removed the old silver filling, we noticed the crack (noted by the red arrows). Given enough time this crack would have propagated (similar to a crack in a windshield) and the tooth would have broken in half down to the nerve. After placing the tooth-colored crown, this tooth is very well protected and the crack will not progress. The crown not only protects the tooth but it looks way better than the previous silver filling. The X-Ray also shows the crown is fully “seated.” Please visit our FAQ section on the upper right to see why a seated crown is crucial to long-term success of a crown.