Cracked Filling? What to Do & How Long You Can Wait

It’s an awful feeling —you know something’s wrong as soon as it happens. You bite down on something hard and feel something crack, but you know it’s not food. Instinctively, you understand it’s your filling. Dental emergencies happen, and often at the worst times.

If you have a cracked or broken filling, you might be wondering how long can I wait? It’s not an immediate emergency; you don’t need to go to a hospital. But you should call your dentist as soon as possible.

Any time a filling has been compromised, whether it’s cracked, broken, loose, or fell out, you put your teeth at risk of infection and further decay. Even if you didn’t feel any pain when the filling broke, it’s still important to see an emergency dentist to get it fixed as soon as possible. In the meantime, though, here’s what you should do:

When Possible, Always Save the Broken Filling

If you feel a filling becomes loose, first remove it from your mouth. Try to avoid swallowing it. If you do swallow it, no need to panic. It will likely pass through. Breathing it in could cause a lung infection, however, so be careful when trying to remove the broken filling. If it’s just cracked, or the filling won’t easily come out, don’t force it; wait for your dentist to repair the cracked filling.

When you can, try to keep the broken filling. Your dentist might be able to reuse it if it’s not too damaged.

Gently brush the damaged tooth. It will likely be tender, and there’s no need to scrub, but try to clean it as thoroughly as possible. Rinse your mouth with a warm saltwater solution to sanitize and soothe the area.

Are You in Pain after Cracking your Filling?

Sometimes your filling fell out and you feel no pain —other times cracked fillings can be very painful. Waiting to see the dentist to repair the damaged filling can seem endless if you’re in pain. Some things you can do to reduce your toothache and protect the tooth with the broken filling are:

• Take over-the-counter pain medication like Advil or Tylenol.
• Ice your jaw in 10-minute intervals to reduce swelling.
• Apply clove oil, available in drug stores and in the baking section of most grocery stores.
• Drinking lukewarm peppermint tea bags, and even lightly chewing on moist peppermint tea bags can also help.
• Apply garlic or garlic oil to the affected area.

How we Help Patients with Broken or Damaged Fillings

We’ll get you in for an emergency dental appointment as soon as possible; we leave room in our calendar for these sorts of things. And broken or cracked fillings are virtually always an easy repair!

First, we’ll take a look at the cracked filling and make a complete diagnosis. We can tell you how long you can wait until treatment. Either way, it’s not something we should put off too long. The tooth is now exposed and will continue to decay, which will lead to further cavities, perhaps even a root canal. If left exposed too long, you even risk losing the tooth. In that case, broken tooth extraction may be necessary.

Second, our dentist will create a plan to repair or replace the cracked filling. Depending on the extent of the damage, we might outright replace the broken filling and/or recommend a crown.

In extreme cases, such as when the tooth itself isn’t savable, a dental implant crown may be necessary.

Why Did My Filling Crack in the First Place?

Cracks can happen if a filling is positioned higher than the rest of your teeth. The force of your bite can cause the mis-positioned tooth to crack. Sometimes cracks appear in a filling overtime as it wears out from use. Sometimes cracks appear at the edge of a filling.

Loose fillings happen. Like a car or phone, they’re not designed to last forever. The important thing is to take care of them as soon as possible to prevent further infection and erosion of the tooth.

Comprehensive Family Dental Care for the Cincinnati Area

If you need emergency dental care, give us a call —even if we’ve never seen you before. We’re accepting new patients, and we offer comprehensive dental care for the entire family. Our family dental clinic practices gentle dentistry. We always try to help our patients feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Chipped and broken fillings need repaired quickly and thoroughly, and our emergency dentists can help.