My Dental Filling is Loose

If you feel as though your dental filling has loosened or if your mouth does not feel right when you bite down, do not shrug it off. A filling that is loose, broken or out of place is a serious problem that requires the assistance of an oral health professional. Aside from an issue with biting, you can also identify a loose dental filling when food packs into a tooth. These are signs you need assistance from a dentist.

Here is exactly what you should do if your dental filling is loose.

Take Action

When you suspect a tooth filling is loose, contact your dentist. You need an analysis performed by an oral health professional. This evaluation will pinpoint the source of the problem and give the dentist the information he needs to develop a strategy to rectify the loose filling. The dentist might take an x-ray to gauge how far decay and damage has extended to the tooth. In most instances, a single small x-ray is all that is necessary. The area around the root of the tooth is inspected to ensure the bacteria or infection has not moved through the nerve tissue.

It might be possible to restore the tooth with another filling.  Take some time with your dentist to consider the merits of this approach along with potential filling materials. In rare instances, a lost filling will require a tooth extraction. It is also possible that the filling's emergence will show a deep cavity or even exposure to the tooth's nerve. It might be necessary to perform a root canal with a cap or crown to add to the tooth's integrity.

Why Dental Fillings Fall Out

Dental fillings loosen and can even fall out for a variety of reasons. In some cases, the patient has additional decay forming around the filling. Keep in mind that each filling has a life expectancy. If the restoration reaches the end of its lifespan, it will need to be replaced. Even something as simple as biting on a hard food can cause the filling to loosen or break.

Unfortunately, when dental fillings loosen and leak toward the end of their life, it creates the opportunity for bacteria, saliva, food and other gunk to enter the spaces around the filling as well as between the filling and the tooth. These tiny spaces are impossible clean so new tooth decay expands the space by the filling. The filling loosens as the space in the tooth grows larger.

Have Your Loose Filling Treated Right Away

If you neglect a filling that has loosened or completely fallen out, the newly decayed or damaged tooth surface will continue to expand into a larger area. The area inside the tooth is comprised of a weak dentin structure that is not meant to endure normal use or combat tooth decay. The dentin can endure deep damage at a fast rate, causing the nerve within the tooth to be infected. Treatment should be applied right away even if the tooth does not hurt. Treating the site of a loose filling or filling that has emerged from the tooth just might prevent the need for a root canal resulting from an abscess.