When it comes to your smile, you want to be able to protect it as much as you possibly can. That is why it can be an extremely scary experience if you undergo dental treatment only for your filling to crack or, worse still, fall out altogether. Whilst your head may be full of worries, it is important not to panic within this situation. The main question is if you lose a filling, should it be classified as a dental emergency? Here are the facts about what you should do if one of your fillings breaks away from your teeth. Be sure to also head to https://www.mathesondentistry.com/ for more information.
Size Matters
Now, when it comes to cracking a filling, you need to take a long hard look at the damage and see how bad it truly is. If it is only a small part of the filling that has broken away, keeping the overall tooth still protected with only a small gap exposed, then this would not be classified as a dental emergency. Instead, you should simply schedule in a normal appointment and ask your dentist to fix it.
However, should you find that the full filling has fallen out, or a large chunk of it has gone, then you will need to get this seen to as quickly as possible. The fact that a large interior of your tooth has been exposed can lead to a number of problems, with the shape edges of the remaining tooth cutting your tongue, or even more of your tooth fragmenting off. If you find that you have a large gap in your tooth, then this certainly can be classified as an emergency.
Are you in Pain?
The extent to which losing a filling is an emergency largely depends on how your mouth generally feels after the filling has fallen out. If you start to experience any sort of bleeding or intense pain (aka. toothache) then you may need to contact your dentist. The last thing you need is for the tooth to become infected due to a piece of food being caught within it.
Whilst this would be classified as an emergency, as your dentist will need to quickly patch up your tooth, you may also feel a little sensitivity when it comes to the tooth itself. With the nerve having been exposed then any sort of hot or cold food is sure to inflame it. Whilst this sort of pain may be tolerable, you should still get the gap filled as quickly as possible so that you do not damage the overall nerve endings within the tooth.
Infections and Abscesses
Whilst this may not be an immediate problem in regards to a broken filling, but if you end up leaving it for too long then this sort of problem can emerge. Dental Emergencies in London tend to focus on infections and bacteria entering the tooth, especially when there is a gap that has emerged within a filling. If a piece of food ends up getting stuck within the broken tooth then this may, unfortunately, lead to an abscess or infection. If your gum has swollen after you have broken your tooth then you will have to see your dentist immediately. Abscesses will not go away on their own, thus you will require emergency assistance to prevent you from becoming ill.