Filling came out during flossing - no appointment till next week

[Ian]

While flossing the other day, an amalgam filling came out of one of my top molars. I spoke to the dental receptionist and explained, but the earliest "emergency" appointment available isn't until the middle of next week.

• As I don't want any of the tooth to break off I was thinking of getting a DIY filling kit, but as the the filling covers both the side and biting surfaces, would it be a good idea?
• The flossing was fairly gentle, and the filling wasn't all that old judging by its colour (light, rather than dark grey). Should I be worried about flossing other filled teeth?
• At the emergency appointment, which isn't with my normal dentist, will s/he use a temporary or permanent filling?

Thanks.

 

[Gordon]

Any symptoms at all? Sensitive to cold or to sweet things? If not, then personally I wouldn't bother with the temp filling stuff. If you're having some symptoms then it might be worth your while.

No, fillings should be floss-proof

No idea, depends how much time s/he's got available I suppose.

 

[Ian]

It's a bit sensitive to hot and cold (it's quite a deep filling, I think) but it doesn't bother me much.

Any idea why the filling would have come out? It seemed to come out really easily and although it doesn't look as though any bits have come off, there doesn't seem to be much of a "dovetail joint" to hold it in the tooth!

I was only asking about the temporary/permanent filling to prepare myself for an injection and some drilling...

 

[RP]

May be some decay under the filling, then it has nothing to adhere to and it falls out.

 

[olanda]

it might also be that you grind your teeth at night - this can cause fillings to come out more quickly than in a non-grinder, i think!

 

[Ian]

It's a fairly new filling, I think, so unless it failed I don't think decay should be a reason. Plus, I'm not aware that I grind my teeth at night, and dentists haven't seen any evidence.

Is it worth taking the filling to the appointment, or will the dentist just give me a strange look...?

 

[Gordon]

Not a lot of point in taking it with you really, it won't tell anybody anything useful. There may have been some technical fault with the cavity design, everybody can slip up a wee bit from time to time.

Want a really horrible story from my past? Do not scroll down if you've got a delicate stomach!
























A patient came in and handed me a filling. He said he had been eating a sausage and found it in his mouth. The good news was that it was definitely a filling. The bad news was that he wasn't missing any of his...

 

[RP]

Ewwwww!

 

[Ian]

Thanks for the reply, Gordon. And thanks for the story (!)

I'll just be careful what I eat between now and the appointment, and see what the dentist says. Unfortunately, my usual dentist is leaving at the end of this week, so I'll be seeing someone different. I'm sure they're a good dentist, but I got used to the other associate, so am a bit apprehensive.

 

[sudzs]

A patient came in and handed me a filling. He said he had been eating a sausage and found it in his mouth. The good news was that it was definitely a filling. The bad news was that he wasn't missing any of his...

 

[Gordon]

I know, it put me off sausages for ages!

 

[Totalwimp]

Oh yuk!!