Are you concerned about a loose filling? A visit to your emergency dentist, Dr. Michael Eghtessad of Prime Dental Care in Greenbelt, MD, will fix the problem.
Common causes of loose fillings
Loose fillings can occur for many reasons, including:
- Age: Fillings don't last forever. After years of biting and chewing, your filling may eventually loosen.
- Hard Foods: Biting on nuts, hard pretzels, ice, and other hard foods may loosen fillings.
- Your Habits: Do you bite your nails or use your teeth to open packages? You're much more likely to experience a loose filling if you do either of these things.
- An Injury: A blow to the face could have caused your filling to loosen.
- Filling Type: Silver amalgam fillings contract or expand when they're exposed to hot and cold temperatures. This can damage the filling and loosen it. Tooth-colored fillings, the type most often used today, don't expand and contract and help you avoid loose fillings.
- Tooth Decay: A cavity around the filling could affect its fit.
- Grinding: Grinding or clenching your teeth while you sleep could be the reason that your filling is loose.
How to tell if a filling is loose
In some cases, you may be able to feel your filling wiggle when you pass your tongue over it. Other symptoms of a loose filling can include a rough feeling on the chewing surface of the tooth or tooth pain. The pain may worsen when you chew or eat or drink hot, cold, or sweet food and beverages.
Treating loose fillings
You'll need to make a call to your emergency dentist at the Greenbelt, MD, dental office as soon as possible if you suspect that your filling is loose. Your dentist can replace the filling, ending your pain and discomfort. If a new cavity has formed around the filling, you'll need a bigger filling. In some cases, a dental crown or inlay or onlay may be a better choice, particularly if the area to be restored is particularly large. Dental crowns fit over teeth after they've been reduced in size. Inlays are lab-created restorations that fit inside the cusps of teeth, while onlays extend beyond the cusps.
Do you need to see your Greenbelt, MD, emergency dentist about a loose filling, or another dental emergency? Call (301) 441-9499 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Eghtessad of Prime Dental Care.