What to Do When a Filling Falls Out

 

If you have a filling on one of your teeth and it falls out, you may wonder if this is a dental emergency. It’s not an emergency in most cases, but you should still contact O.C. Dental and come in to have it replaced as soon as possible. A filling can come loose when biting into a hard food or simply due to many years of wear. It’s also possible that you have an old metallic filling and would like it replaced with tooth-colored material. We are happy to help whatever your situation.

Consequences of Not Replacing a Filling

You could experience significant pain if a filling fell out and you delay replacing it because it leaves it vulnerable to bacteria and additional decay. This means you could eventually need a root canal or tooth extraction. Both procedures cost more and take longer to recover from than simply replacing a filling. We encourage you to contact us right away, whether you experience discomfort or not.

Disguise Your Cavity with a Tooth-Colored Filling

Dentistry has come a long way in the last several years. It used to be that silver amalgam was the only filling material available to treat a tooth with a cavity. That is no longer the case. Our dentists will take special care to match the shade of the filling material to your tooth when replacing a cavity that has fallen out of your mouth. It blends in so well that no one can tell you had the tooth filled because of decay. You may even forget this yourself sometimes.

Another benefit of using composite filling materials rather than amalgams is that they typically last longer and produce less wear on the teeth. That means you don’t have to worry about breaking a filling again any time soon.