Finding A Great Dentist

Do You Have A Missing Filling? How You Can Tell

23 June 2022

Kenzi Thompson

Cavities aren't fun, but they can happen to anyone. When you have a cavity, the dentist will treat it will a filling. Fillings are designed to stay in place for a long time, but they can fall out in certain situations. The following are signs you may have lost a filling:

You May Feel a Sudden Jolt of Pain

The first sign you have lost a filling is a very sudden pain in the tooth. A filling is meant to cover a diseased tooth. The filling protects the remainder of the tooth. To fill a tooth, the dentist has to expose the tooth and roots to get the damaged tissue out. If the filling comes out, the rest of the tooth is exposed to cold, heat, and air. If this happens, it can be very painful.

This can happen when you eat or drink something that is hot or cold. You might also notice pain when you open your mouth wide to talk and air hits the tooth.

You See a Hole in the Tooth

If you look in the mirror at your open mouth and you notice a hole in a tooth, this is a sure sign a filling has fallen out. You may also feel the hole with your tongue. This may be difficult to notice with smaller fillings.

You May Notice Food Particles in the Area

If you begin to find you have food or other particles stuck in a tooth, it may be due to a lost filling. It is not uncommon for food to get stuck in your teeth, but debris stuck in the same place all the time might indicate a lost filling. You may find yourself removing the debris from the tooth with your tongue. It might feel like you have to dig the food out of a hole in your tooth. If you experience this constantly, you might have lost a filling.

Although important, losing a filling is not a major issue as long as you get the tooth fixed as soon as possible. Consider scheduling an emergency appointment with a family dentist as soon as one is available. The tooth will be repaired by placing a new filling into the area. If you tend to the tooth quickly, the dentist should not have to numb the area or drill away additional tooth material. They will simply clean the area and refill it.

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