Do I need a crown?

Pro. F

10 years ago I chipped one of my front teeth, about a fifth of the tooth missing from one corner. I got it capped at the time. I believe dentists call this treatment a filling.

About a month ago the filling came fell off and I went to a dentist to get it fixed. I was given a new filling, but a week later that fell off as well. I went back to the dentist (different dentist in the same practice) and he told me that once the first filling like this has come off it can become impossible to make another stick to the tooth and so I might need to get a crown. He tried doing another filling, but he ended up shaping it down until it was extremely thin and small. A month later this filling also fell off.

So does what the dentist said sound true? Is a crown the only option now?

I would be very grateful for some advice on this.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

If the chip is small, say less than a 1/3 of the tooth a new filling should last well. If the old filling came out clean and did not take a bunch of tooth structure with it. These filling can be annoying in that you can have one debond several times and then for some reason the next one stays in for years. The dentist should be taking care to prepare the tooth properly and adjusting the bite properly as that's the most likely culprit.

If the tooth is badly damaged a crown is a good option long term, often getting a crown early avoids extra treatment down the line. Only the dentist that has seen you tooth can advise you really.

Pro. F

Thanks Fitz, plenty of information there. When I got the work done recently I was away from home, so I will be going to a different dentist now. It's good to be going in with an understanding of the issues. Thanks.