In general, dental fillings stay in place and offer you years of wear. Sometimes, we may suggest removing and replacing the filling if you need such a procedure to get rid of a metal filling and to replace it with a white one (or because the dental work is old). While a filling “falling out” is not something that happens all the time, it is, in fact, a possibility. Why might this happen, you wonder? Allow us to offer a couple reasons you could experience such a thing. As for how to react, we suggest you see us immediately, so we can restore your tooth before additional damage occurs.
Reason #1: You’re Eating Something You Shouldn’t
It’s quite difficult to cause a dental filling to suddenly fall out of your tooth. However, it’s definitely not an impossibility. In general, if your filling was correctly placed and you take good care of your smile, the reason for this problem is likely due to the food you are eating. If you are eating something extremely hard for teeth to break down, it can damage your filling. If you are eating sticky foods, it can pull the filling from its location in your tooth.
Reason #2: You Received Poor Work From Another Practice
If you received your dental filling from another practice, it is entirely possible that the work you received was not the best work possible. In some instances, when a filling is poorly placed, it can result in decay occurring beneath the filling. As a result, tooth tissue will be lost (and so will your filling). When you think something is off, let us know. Remember, this is an important reason to schedule your twice-annual checkups. Advanced imaging can let us know ahead of time if decay is occurring deep within your tooth.