What to do after loss of filling?
First of all, it is important to keep calm. If the filling breaks during chewing, you should spit the food out carefully and look for the filling. For the treating dentist the remaining filling material is an important clue for further therapy.
If the filling can be found, it should be kept and brought to the dentist. However, if it is broken into many pieces, the pieces are not very helpful anymore. But this is not a problem for the treatment.
You should not chew on the affected tooth anymore, otherwise there is a risk of fracture, which further destroys the tooth. In order to restore the chewing function and to prevent possible further damage, one should visit one’s family dentist, i.e. the dentist who placed the filling. In some cases, the filling is placed as a gesture of goodwill and costs nothing.
If the family dentist cannot be reached because the accident happens, for example, at the weekend, an emergency dentist is always available. It is especially important to keep the filling of an anterior tooth and bring it to the dentist. The old filling can often be reattached. On the one hand, the treatment is easier, on the other hand the tooth then looks most similar to the old one. If a new filling is placed in the front tooth area, it is possible that the tooth has a different shape than before.
Tooth filling fell out at the weekend – tips
Even on weekends there is a dentist nearby in case of emergency. However, this emergency service should only be visited in urgent cases. The dentist can decide how urgent it is to replace the filling after a telephone call.
In some cases the family dentist bears the costs for a new filling. In addition, the cost of fillings on weekends is higher than on weekdays. In order to protect the tooth, it should be exposed to less or no stress when chewing.
Depending on how thin the remaining wall of the tooth is, it can easily break off during chewing. Therefore, one should fall back on soft food. In order to protect the tooth from chemical and thermal stimuli, you can put a tooth wax or plasticine in the hole.
These materials can be bought in the pharmacy. Sugar-free chewing gum is also sufficient for emergency care. This is simply pressed into the filling cavity. You just have to take care that you do not remove it again by chewing.If the filling is not broken, but can be put back into the hole with a perfect fit, it can be glued back in place with some toothpaste.
