Can a tooth with a filling be more prone to cavities?

can a tooth with a filling be more prone to cavities? just wonderin bcz i just got my tooth filled today (composite fillings) and im concerned and also...i have a tooth i lost thats still not growing i had it xrayed and it appears there is not a permanent tooth growing underneath (will a permenent tooth ever grow or will i have to live with that tooth missing?) pls answer with your experience or knowledge thnx

Can a tooth with a filling be more prone to cavities?
No
Reply:Yes, a tooth with a filling can be more susceptible to developing a recurrent cavity. This is because of poor marginal adaptation of the material to your tooth surface or due to surface roughness of the material. So if you don't floss or brush well, plaque will adhere to these surfaces and cause a cavity. Another reason a composite filling may be more prone to recurrent cavities is due to microleakage of bacteria into the tooth through tiny cracks. Amalgam (silver) restorations tend to exhibit less microleakage. So be sure and floss daily!





To address your 2nd question: If you have lost a baby tooth and a permanent tooth is not seen in the x-ray, I'd be concerned about the following things:


1) Why did you lose the baby tooth if there was no permanent tooth to push it out? Many times, if there is no permanent tooth, the root of the baby tooth remains long and can stay in the mouth for years! Did you get it extracted because there was a large cavity?


2) What kind of x-ray did your dentist take? If he/she took the small ones and did not see the permanent tooth, did he/she take a larger one that shows the entire jaw? (panograph) Sometimes, teeth can get "stuck" in the jaw. This is called "ectopic eruption." Or it can just be that you are missing that particular permanent tooth. If you don't see it on a panograph by early teens, you will probably never "grow" one. Also, sometimes one missing permanent tooth may mean another missing permanent tooth on the other side. Check with your dentist.