How Long Can You Wait When a Filling Falls Out of Your Tooth?

Take it from your dentist. Dental fillings don’t last forever. When a filling falls out of your tooth, what do you do? How long can you wait?

The general rule is you want it replaced as soon as possible. Otherwise, your tooth will continue to decay. Call your dentist as soon as possible. At our dentist offices in Blue Ash, we tend to keep a few appointment slots available for just such dental emergencies. We can likely get you in on the same day or soon after.

In the meantime, you need to protect the tooth where the filling came loose. If you’re in pain, there are several at home pain remedies you can take. But even if your filling came out and there is no pain, we still need to see you as soon as possible.

Why Your Filling Came Out

There are a number of reasons why your filling came out. It could be there’s been new decay around the tooth, which caused the filling to work itself loose. Perhaps you chewed on something hard such as nutty or crunchy foods. Maybe you grind your teeth at night. Perhaps there’s been a chemical reaction in your mouth that has loosened the bonding that held the filling in place.

Steps to Take When a Filling Falls Out

Call our dental offices in Blue Ash as soon as possible. Let us know if you are in pain. We’ll try to get you in as soon as we can. In the meantime, we’ll suggest ways to protect the tooth and help manage any pain you might be experiencing.

Don’t have a dentist? Call us anyway! We’re taking new patients and can see you for dental emergencies.

If you can, try to save the filling. Your dentist may be able to reuse it. If you lost a dental crown, your dentist may be able to re-cement it.

Until we see you, try to keep the area where the filling fell out as dry as possible. Most dentists recommend gargling with salt water. This will naturally kill the bacteria while removing any food debris from the affected tooth. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water. Gargle for a few seconds.

Gently brush the area where the filling fell out regularly. Avoid chewing in the area the filling fell out.

You may be able to use dental wax (available in most drug stores) to temporarily protect the area the filling fell out. This will protect it for a day or two, but you still need to see your family dentist.