Do you have a loose tooth filling? You would ask, “What to do if you lose a tooth filling?” This should not be a cause of an alarm, but it’s good if you set aside some time and visit your dentist. Tooth fillings at some point get loose due to decay developing underneath and around the tooth or eating/biting of hard foods. The loose tooth may become painful with time due to the sensitivity of its tissue to air, pressure, and temperature.
What do you need to do before visiting a dentist?
Before going to the dentist, you will want to reduce the pain emanating from the loose tooth. The best way to do this is by applying a dental cement above the tooth surface, which you can easily get over the counter. This will help to relieve the pain by sealing and protecting that area.
Treatment
An analysis will be performed to the tooth so as to determine the cause of the problem and strategies required to rectify it. A simple x-ray around the tooth will be done to ascertain the extent of the damage and decay of the tooth. The dentist will also need to carry out some inspection to find out whether bacteria or infections have found their way into nerve tissue.
A loose filling will on rare occasion require tooth extraction. It’s good to sit and discuss with your dentist the best way to refill your tooth with another filling. In some instances, a root canal may be performed when tooth nerves are exposed or deep cavity. This is usually done using caps or crowns to restore the tooth’ integrity.
Don’t wait for too long if you have a loose tooth filling. This is because more damage may be caused to the tooth making it weaker. Also, the decay forming under the tooth may spread over causing more problems. Early treatment of loose fillings may prevent you from undergoing a root canal that comes as a result of delayed treatment due to prevalent damage.
