Broke Your Tooth or Filling Fell Out?: What to Do if These Were to Happen to You

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION

Dr. Sweeney-Fonseca explains the process you should take if your filling falls out or you broke your tooth. 

If your filling falls out, I suggest that you don’t do anything but see the dentist. I think that practicing dentistry without the license is still illegal, so you’re much better off not really doing anything home. The filling, if it just falls out, and it’s simple, and you get to the dentist in time, it could be as simple as refilling the tooth again. But, let’s say that you don’t have time, and it’s not hurting yet, and you postpone it and then the bacteria

actually gets inside of the tooth, you may not even have a pain, yet, but as soon as you start treating the tooth, filling the tooth, that bacteria can spread and go right into the nerve. Or, if you wait a long time, the actual bacteria will get into the nerve and cause you a toothache, cause the abscess, obviously a lot of pain.  The problem with waiting is that, instead of having a small conservative procedure that it’s fairly inexpensive, you end up with a very large procedure, multiple visits, and a very expensive procedure to save the tooth. So, my advice is, if anything doesn’t feel right in your mouth, go to your dentist.

I would say if you broke your tooth and you cannot get to a dentist immediately, you just keep it really clean, even if it hurts a bit. You get there with the brush. Use at least salt water rinses to keep it really nice and clean and try to make an appointment as soon as you can.