3 Signs That Your Tooth Filling Needs Dental Attention

Have you had your tooth filled in during your previous dental appointment? There are different reasons your dentist gives you dental fillings. Dental fillings are used to restore a broken tooth caused by accidents or hard object biting. They are also used to seal the tooth from preventing bacteria from totally consuming and destroying your tooth.

Tooth fillings may be permanent or temporary. A dentist gives a temporary filling for patients who need immediate comfort while their case needs more observation and treatment. On the other hand, permanent tooth filling is for restorative purposes.

However, regardless of which option you receive, the dental solution may eventually feel uncomfortable. If you have had dental fillings for a while now, here are three signs that it’s time to revisit your dentist:
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1) It Feels Strange

Your tongue easily notices every change inside the mouth and most particularly to your teeth. During the first few days of having your tooth filled, your tongue will always love to touch the area, but if you notice your tongue doing it again after a few months or years, it may be a sign that something is going wrong with your dental filling.

Patients usually notice something rough on the tooth’s surface or feel like something cracking off from the tooth. You may also feel that your bite is not right when closing your mouth. If you are experiencing this, you might need to revisit your dentist to examine the condition of the filling.

2) It is Sensitive to Temperature

Having a sensitive tooth can stop you from doing simple things like brushing teeth, drinking coffee, or eating ice cream. It can even hinder you from focusing on your daily activities. The sensitivity of your tooth is attributed to the inner nerves. This means that if your filling is broken, the temperature can penetrate the tooth’s inner layer and trigger the sensitive pulp to cause pain.

3) It Causes Eating Discomfort

Because a peeled tooth filling is sensitive to strange things, it may cause discomfort when you are biting hard foods or when food creeps into your tooth. Tooth pain is the most common sign if your dental filling is going bad. You may feel pain anytime, even if you are not eating, and this is when you should schedule a dental appointment to ease the discomfort.

How to Take Care of Your Dental Filling

Dental fillings, even the permanent ones, are not made to last forever. Although it can last for several years up to a decade, it still takes proper care and maintenance to make it last longer.

If you have bruxism (teeth grinding), your tooth filling is at a higher risk of breaking easily. In this case, you should use a mouthguard to protect your tooth filling and avoid related dental problems. You may also want to stay away from sweet and acidic foods as they may easily damage your tooth filling. Most importantly, you must always maintain proper oral hygiene by brushing your teeth twice a day and supplement them with mouthwash and dental floss.

Conclusion

While looking at your tooth is enough to know if your dental filling is going bad, it is still necessary to let your dentist check it to provide you with proper observation and a more appropriate dental solution. To avoid the worsening of your dental fillings, you must maintain a regular visit to your dentist twice a year as recommended by experts. A consistent dental check-up can prevent even more dental problems and more cost in solving them.

Are you feeling sudden tooth discomfort? Emergency Dental Care Clinic offers emergency dental services in Edmonton, AB, to everyone who needs immediate comfort. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!