Precautions to be taken when a Dental Filling or Restoration falls out

Dental Restorations do not last life long and if you got a restoration done you will have to make sure it lasts long by maintaining your Oral hygiene. Loosing a Restoration be it an Amalgam Restoration or Glass Ionomer or Composite restoration can be quite a traumatic experience particularly if the cavity restored is deep.

In case you loose your restoration be it in the anterior tooth or the posterior tooth certain precautions should be taken to prevent complications arising from it. There are many reasons for a Restoration or Dental Filling to loosen and fall off i have recently written a detailed post regarding this – Reasons for Dental Filling or Restoration to Fall out

Precautions taken when you loose your Restoration or Filling:

Remove the Restoration from your Mouth:

• The first thing you should be doing after noticing the loss of restoration is removing the dislodged part of the restoration from your oral cavity or Mouth. Because if you swallow or the restoration finds its way into your epiglottis and Larynx (wind pipe) it becomes a big problem requiring immediate medical attention. So as soon as you feel the restoration loosening remove it from your mouth or spit it out.

Book an Appointment with your Dentist:

• This is the second thing which you should be doing after loosing your restoration, immediately book an appointment with your dentist stating the reaso0n of loss of dental filling. If the filling was recently done your dentist might do the refilling for free or if it was an old restoration you need to pay for it.
• Booking an appointment is necessary immediately because the cavity caused due to loss of dental filling is a site prone to accumulation of food and debris which can lead to Caries if left untreated and can require Root Canal Treatment faster because of the less amount of tooth structure covering the pulp.

In case of Sensitivity on taking Hot or Cold:

• In most cases of lost dental fillings Sensitivity is a common symptom as the Dentinal tubules are exposed to the atmosphere and because these are microscopic tubules containing Nerve endings any stimulus of Cold or Hot can lead to Sensitivity which is highly uncomfortable.
• In Such cases use Sensitivity Gel (Sensoform, Hydent-k ..etc) which contain mostly Potassium Nitrate in its composition which when applied on the tooth surface causing sensitivity blocks the Dentinal tubules and prevents sensitivity temporarily until your Dentist Appointment.

If you are not able to go to the Dentist for a Long Duration of Time: (Temporary Fillings or Restorations)

• In case you are not able to get the Dentists appointment or you are out of station and attending the dentist may take a while you can fill in the cavity using a Temporary Restoration or Filling materials which are available in your Medical Store or in Online Stores like Amazon.
• The materials which we recommend are Dentatemp, Refilit (Click on text to buy from Amazon) which can be used at home to temporarily fill in the restoration until the next Dental Appointment. This is not a permanent cure for your cavity but just a temporary solution unitl your next appointment to avoid Sensitivity and Pain in the lost restoration or dental filling.