Tooth filling fallen out - when to go to the dentist?

introduction

Thanks to the good filling materials, it is increasingly rare these days that a filling just breaks out. Nevertheless, the filling materials suffer from chewing pressure over time, so that no filling lasts forever.

The guarantee for dental care is 2 years. A filling should survive this time.It can happen that the filling was modeled a little too high and is therefore loaded incorrectly. A piece of it likes to break out. In addition, caries can develop under a filling, so that the bond between the tooth and the filling loosens and the filling loosens.

Regardless of the reason why a filling loosens or breaks: You should visit your dentist to repair the damage.

Causes of the loss of filling

Breaking through an outer wall of the treated tooth can lead to the loss of the tooth filling (Tooth filling fell out) to lead. Damage to the outer wall of the tooth can result from excessive or excessive stress on the natural tooth substance.

In some affected patients, placing a tooth filling again is not enough to restore the tooth over the long term, so a so-called inlay is necessary.

Further reasons are so-called filling fractures, i.e. broken fillings, and the loss of the bond between the tooth substance and the actual filling material.

The actual filling also breaks through as a rule, when individual tooth surfaces are overloaded, which makes the filling material porous in the long term. Particularly with very old tooth fillings, there are signs of wear and tear and an associated loss of the layer thickness of the filling material, which ultimately leads to breakout.

In the area of ​​the incisors and canines, dental fillings that have fallen out are the result of a loss of adhesive strength between the tooth substance and the actual filling material in many of those affected.

Patients who have lost a tooth filling should make an appointment with their treating dentist as soon as possible.

What to do after a loss of filling?

First of all, keep calm. If the filling breaks while chewing, the food should be spit out carefully and looking for the filling. For the treating dentist, the rest of the filling material is an important indicator for further therapy. If the filling can be found, it should be kept and brought to the dentist. But if it is broken into many pieces, the bits are no longer very helpful. However, this does not pose a problem for the treatment either. The affected tooth should no longer be chewed, otherwise there is a risk of a fracture, which will also destroy the tooth.

In order to restore the chewing function and prevent possible further damage, you should consult your family dentist, i.e. the dentist who also placed this filling. In certain cases, the filling is placed on goodwill and costs nothing. If the family dentist cannot be reached, for example because the accident happens at the weekend, an emergency dentist is always available. It is particularly important to keep the filling of an anterior tooth and bring it to the dentist. The old filling can often be glued back on. On the one hand, the treatment is easier, and on the other hand, the tooth looks most similar to the old one. If a new filling is placed in the front tooth area, the tooth may have a different shape than before.

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Tooth filling fell out at the weekend - tips

There is also a treating dentist nearby for emergencies at the weekend. However, this emergency service should only be used in urgent emergencies. After a telephone call, the dentist can decide how urgent it is to replace the filling. In some cases, the general practitioner bears the cost of a new filling. In addition, the cost of fillings is higher on the weekend than on the working day. To protect the tooth, you should put less or no stress on it when chewing. Depending on how thin the remaining wall of the tooth is, it can easily break off when chewing. You should therefore resort to soft food.

To protect the tooth from chemical and thermal stimuli, a tooth wax or plasticine can be placed in the hole. These materials can be purchased 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 be careful not to get it out again by chewing it. If the filling is not broken, but can be put back into the hole with a perfect fit, you can glue it back on with a little toothpaste.

What to do if the temporary filling has fallen out?

As the name provisionally suggests, this filling is not as important as a definitive filling, but it should be put back in again. A temporary closure after a root canal treatment has started is important to keep the canal free of food and bacteria. If this filling is left open, the inserted medicament will be washed out. The chance of preserving the tooth through the root canal treatment is therefore reduced.

If a temporary filling is to protect exposed dentin or even an opened pulp until the next appointment, this protection is missing until the next treatment appointment, if the filling falls out. During this time, the tooth is more vulnerable and more sensitive to mechanical, chemical and thermal stimuli.

Cost and guarantee

The cost varies greatly depending on when the filling comes out, where the affected tooth is, and how big the filling is. The guarantee for a tooth filling is 2 years. Roughly speaking, this means that a defective filling must be repaired free of charge within this time. However, these costs are only borne by the dentist who placed the filling himself. A third-party dentist cannot be held responsible for a different filling, so it is important to see your own dentist.

Plastic fillings are not covered by the health insurance unless you have taken out additional insurance. If the filling has to be replaced after 2 years, a plastic filling must be paid for privately. Other materials, such as cement or amalgam, are covered by the statutory health insurance companies. If there is still more tooth decay under the filling that has to be removed, the new filling may be larger than the old one. If another area of ​​the tooth is replaced with this filling, the filling becomes more expensive.

No pain - replace the filling anyway?

It is absolutely necessary to replace the broken-out filling. Depending on how big the filling is, the tooth lacks the outer protective layer. The tooth is much more sensitive to cold and heat. In addition, the hard tooth substance is missing to absorb the strong chewing forces. If the filling is larger so that dentin is already exposed when it falls out, it is easy for the caries to destroy the tooth even further. Dentin is softer than tooth enamel and significantly more susceptible to acids and tooth decay. The caries could spread further and, over time, also affect the nerves inside the tooth. The consequences of a filling that has not been replaced are pain when chewing or even when resting. If the filling extends to the neighboring tooth, there is no contact between the two teeth if it has fallen out. If the situation were left as it is, the teeth will move towards one another, as they have no so-called approximal contact (interdental contact) that holds them in place. It is also important that the tooth in the other jaw has an opposing tooth, otherwise it will grow out of its tooth socket until it makes contact again.

Pain after loss of filling

As already described above, it is important to keep this filling if necessary. If you feel pain in this tooth, you should see a dentist as soon as possible. If a direct appointment is not possible for whatever reason, pain relievers such as Ibuprofen or Paracetamol against the pain. Other home remedies for pain relievers such as homeopathic globules are also recommended. It is advisable to use a soft diet so as not to stress the certain tooth too much. It should also not be too hot or too cold. Since the tooth is missing a piece and therefore the external protection is insufficient, it reacts particularly sensitively to heat and cold. The tooth is also less stable against chewing forces, which is why further filling residues - or in the worst case parts of the tooth - can break out.

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