Bit of context: I had a lot of cavities back in the day (when I was age 16) from eating and drinking a lot of sugary items. Went to the dentist, had them filled, and now here we are. I am now 29 with a good dental routine, but one of these fillings is on a tricky tooth that has always gotten food caught between the now sugar-sensitive area. I noticed the light tingling sensation of it about three months ago, which has now turned into a more noticeable feeling (but it isn’t unbearable yet). My dentist basically told me that this tooth’s filling is wearing down and will need to be pulled and replaced. I unfortunately don’t have pictures available, but my question is wouldn’t the dentist just be able to re-fill it instead of having to pull it and put a crown on it? Also, how urgent is this matter? I’ve had a fully breached wisdom tooth pulled by him before because it was rotting from the same situation (food getting stuck).

I am also looking to make sure my dentist isn’t:

A) trying to make a quick buck

or B) trying to be lazy when he could indeed fill it back up.

If anyone could assist in this matter, I would be most grateful.

Thank you.