Can Resin Fillings Last 40 Years?

Find out if they last 40 years in this brutally honest post from the surgery chair. The honest clinical answer is no; today’s composite resin fillings are expected to need to be replaced somewhere between the seven and twelve-year mark.

Many patients come into the practice at Northlane Dental having read stories about when the old silver amalgam or cast gold inlay fillings last 30 to 40 years. But composite resin is nothing like metal. Gold crowns never wear down but white composite resin will bend and give when you bite down hard on a tough steak or swallow a hot drink. Over ten years the white glue seal slowly begins to weaken.

Enamel Preservation Over 40-Year Metals at Northlane Dental

The one benefit by a country mile is preserving your natural tooth. Old-school metal fillings involved drilling out healthy tooth to ensure the filling wouldn’t fall out. Today, with resin, we spare you the needle, the high speed burs don’t even get close to your healthy enamel and we can set the filling with a little pen light so it’s finished in 45 minutes and helps you avoid the financial pain in the pocketbook.

Useful Tips From Our Surgery

Use fresh tap water to rinse your teeth after indulging in luxurious black coffee or tea.

Not ready to crush on unpitted nuts or rip into those tough boxes with your new teeth?

Visit our hygienist regularly-twice a year so we can check your filling edges are plaque free.

Quick Questions

What is the lifetime of resin fillings?

You’ll want to hold off for seven to twelve years so your dentist can use a reamer.

Can an old filling be patched?

Of course, we only sand the surface and add some additional resin without making everything anew.

How painful is it to have a filling replaced?

Zero pain. We’ll never come close to drilling where your tooth nerves are for a totally relaxed experience.