If you ever say “M-O-D-B-L” to anyone in dentistry, they’ll know exactly what you mean. Each surface of a tooth has a name and, not surprisingly, we use the first letter of each name to describe the location of anything. When 4-5 letters are listed, it translates into “monster filling”, figuratively. Monster fillings break more easily, and sometimes create conditions that make it easier for actual tooth material to just break off when chewing. No one can control or predict at 100% the direction of this break, but sometimes it forces an immediate root canal or tooth removal. That means even more expense.
Compounding the problem, when monster fillings are made from metal, they sometimes block out the opportunity to view decay on an X-ray. I may not be able to see a percolating problem.
I view monster fillings as a ticking bomb, because I’ve responded to many off-hours calls from patients who just broke an M-O-D-B-L. Each is in a panic. I encourage patients to have a crown placed on these teeth, before they reach this stage because it acts like armor. Crowns often have a substrate of casted metal, to which a matching tooth-colored material is “baked on”. They are actually cemented over the reduced shape of an existing tooth, with a cement that can last for decades. It takes a long, long time for them to wear out unless one forgets to floss them or eats and drinks lots of sweets.
Patients never do that (wink).
Contact Winterset Dental today to find out which treatment is right for you.