So You Cracked a Filling, Now What?

Dental Care

Your oral health is very important to maintain. Not everyone knows that your gums and your teeth have the ability to affect your overall health. When you have good oral health, your smile, your sense of smell, and even your sense of taste improve. If you’ve cracked a filling, your oral health can suffer.

A Cracked Filling

The cause of a cracked filling may occur for many reasons, such as chewing too hard, grinding your teeth, clenching teeth together, and so on. Older fillings sometimes need reinforcement — they do wear out as they age. When you discover that you have cracked a filling in your mouth, naturally you’ll need to get it taken care of right away. You do have some options:

• Drill and replace
• Get a crown
• Get it capped

An X-ray may be beneficial – the crack in the filling may have been caused by a deeper, more urgent issue. Ask your dentist to check for any other cavities that may have formed under the filling crack.

Perfectly Normal

It is not uncommon for a filling to crack. They do not necessarily last forever. They do get worn. The good news is that most dentist’s offices will be able to handle the fix with no problems. If you need a dentist in Studio City, CA, our staff here at Studio City Dental Center has the skills and experience to advise you on what your best option will be. We see this sort of thing all the time.

What To Do

If you notice that you have cracked a filling, contact us right away. A cracked filling is not something that goes away on its own – if you do nothing, it may get worse. You could end up getting an infection in the tooth, which could turn into an abscessed tooth if left unattended. You also could end up with damaging tooth decay in that tooth’s area. And don’t worry – fixing it will hurt less than having a tooth infection, so don’t wait.

If you do crack a filling, you do need to take care of it as soon as you are able to do so. You will need to contact a professional. Give us a call at (818) 762-2977 or contact us online and we’ll set you up with a fast appointment to remedy the situation.