It is very important to take good care of your teeth. Oral health is tied in with our overall health so it has to be taken seriously. It isn’t just about having a nice smile. Even after you’ve had work done on your teeth, you have to be aware of how things can go.
For instance, if you have a filling done, you may think that you’re all set as far as that tooth goes. In reality, you can still end up having problems with that tooth at some point down the line. For instance, a filling can fall out after a few years. In this article, we will go over what you need to know in case this happens to you.
Watch for infection
When your filling falls out, it leaves the sensitive inside of your tooth exposed. The outside of a tooth is coated in very hard and durable enamel that helps keep things like bacteria from getting side the tooth. It’s a naturally very effective barrier.
Inside the tooth is soft and bacteria will eat away at it. This is what caused you to need a filling, to begin with. However, now the stakes are even higher since an infection after a filling falls out will be much deeper inside the tooth.
Food is now going to get trapped inside the cavity and this is when the problems begin. Make sure to go to a dentist like https://natelewisdds.com/ as soon as possible so they can clean out the inside of the tooth and give you a new filling. In the meantime, you should be rinsing your mouth out with an antibacterial mouthwash to keep the bacteria from getting a foothold.
There will be pain
Usually, cavities will get close to the nerve ending. When you have a cavity that needs to be filled, the dentist will drill and scrape inside to get rid of the decayed part of the tooth. This risks exposing the nerve even further.
When the filling falls out then the chances of the nerve being exposed are fairly high. This means that drinking cold or hot liquids will cause a lot of pain. The same goes for eating. When you bite down then the pressure will cause the nerve to react and be very painful.
Until you are able to get to a dentist then you should look into getting some type of benzocaine liquid to calm the pain.
How long should a filling last?
Years ago, the material that fillings were made from wasn’t very durable. This is probably why your filling has fallen out. The material now is much more durable and should last a lifetime if you take good care of your teeth.
If your filling was done more than 20 years ago then it shouldn’t be a surprise that it has fallen out. The next one should last a lot longer and if it falls out then there was likely a mistake or problem when it was put in your cavity.
