What to do when a filling falls out

Sometimes fillings fall out and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. At least if a filling falls out we can know how to be better prepared ourselves and know what to do about the filing falling out.

When a filling falls out you do not want to stick the filling back in. You want to keep the filling if you can. The dentist can sometimes determine why a filling has fallen out by looking at it. Sometimes a dentist can stick in the old filling instead of having to do a whole new filling. You may get a toothache soon after the filling falls out. The toothache might be cause from a crack in the tooth (that may be the reason for the filling falling out), or getting debris in the hole where the filling has fallen out. You will want to softly brush and floss your teeth to make sure there is no other debris.

If you get a toothache after a filling falls out, try taking an over the counter pain reliever to help with the pain. You can also try to dip a q-tip in oil cloves and rub it on the tooth to help. Oil cloves are supposed to be a natural sedative for the nerve of your tooth. You can also use a temporary dental cement to cover the tooth area and protect the surface from debris and air getting down to the nerve and causing tooth decay and or tooth ache.

Next you will want to take a temporary object such as floss to cover the hole where the filling fell out. You can do this by rubbing the floss between your thumb and your pointer finger and making the floss soft. Then roll it in a ball and then apply to hole to make a protective barrier from debris and air from the nerve that might cause a toothache.

If your tooth is ok and there is not any further damage such as tooth decay. Your dentist will probably just have to go in and clean the area making sure everything looks ok. There is usually some tooth decay around the area where the filing has fallen out. In this case the dentist would go in and clean around that area and replace the filling that has fallen out with a new filling or decide what the best way to fix the tooth will be. If you wait to get the filling that has fallen out replaced it might have to have more extensive work done such as a root canal. So, if your filling falls out or has already fallen out get into see the doctor before you cause yourself and your wallet more headache and money then you have too.

You will want to call the dentist as soon as possible after a filling has fallen out and get the soonest available appointment. There are things that you can do to help with the pain but not getting a filling that has fallen out replaced will make you have more problems. You could have problems such as tooth decay or a severe toothache; you could even get an infection. If you wait to long it will become more expensive that if you would have just gone in and got your filling that had fallen out put back in or replaced. It is very important so I will say it again call your dentist and get an appointment as soon as possible after a filling has fallen out.