A Filling Fell Out: What to Do and How Soon to Be Seen

Keep the filling if you can find it. The dentist may be able to see how it failed, and a lost crown or inlay can sometimes be fixed back on. A loose piece should not be swallowed or breathed in, so take it out of your mouth carefully if it is still loose.

Rinse gently with lukewarm water, or warm salt water, to clear food and debris from the hole. Look in a mirror, or feel with a clean fingertip, for a sharp or jagged edge of tooth that could cut your tongue or cheek. A sharp edge is worth mentioning when you call, and dental wax or sugar-free chewing gum can soften it for the short term.

Do not poke at the hole with a pin or a toothpick. That can push bacteria into the tooth and injure the nerve.

Note what you were eating when it came out and whether the tooth hurt before. That history helps the dentist work out why it failed, and whether the same thing is likely to happen again.

A pharmacy sells temporary dental cement, sometimes sold as a filling kit. Follow the instructions on the packet to press a small amount into the clean, dry hole. It is a stopgap for days, not a repair. Never use superglue or household adhesive.

Chew on the other side, and avoid hot, cold, sweet and sticky food on the affected tooth. Brush the area gently so food does not pack into the hole. If the tooth is sensitive to air, keep your mouth closed when breathing in cold air.

Be aware that a temporary stopgap does not seal a tooth the way the dentist can. Our guide on temporary fillings explains what the dentist's version is made of.

If the tooth aches, paracetamol or ibuprofen as directed on the label can help. Ibuprofen is not suitable for everyone, including people with stomach ulcers, kidney disease or asthma that is aggravated by it, people on blood thinners, and women who are pregnant. Check with a pharmacist or doctor if unsure. Do not place a tablet against the gum, because it burns the tissue.

Pain that is severe, throbbing or that wakes you at night can mean the nerve is inflamed or infected, and should not wait. Our page on toothache lists the signs. Swelling that spreads across the face, fever, or difficulty swallowing or breathing needs same-day care, and a hospital emergency department if breathing or swallowing is affected.

Within a few days is a sensible target, sooner if there is pain or a sharp edge. An uncovered cavity collects food and bacteria, and decay under a lost filling can move quickly towards the nerve. A tooth with a big hole can also break, and a broken tooth is a bigger job than a refilled one.

If the lost filling was part of a root canal, or the tooth has been treated before, tell the clinic when you call, because that raises the urgency.

If you have no pain and the gap is small, you can wait for a normal appointment. Call the clinic and describe what happened; they can tell you how urgent it is for your tooth. Ranges for the repair are on the teeth filling cost page, where an ordinary filling is ₹500 to ₹3,000 in Lucknow in 2026.

The commonest reason is decay underneath. New decay at the edge of a filling loosens the seal and undermines the support, until the filling lifts out. Our guide on what a cavity in teeth looks like describes the process, and how to stop tooth decay covers the habits that prevent it.

Other causes are fracture of the filling or the tooth around it, heavy biting or grinding, a tooth that has lost too much structure to hold the filling, and age. Fillings do not last forever, and one that is ten or fifteen years old is more likely to fail than a recent one.

If the dentist finds that the walls of the tooth are thin or cracked, a new filling may not hold, and a crown covering the whole tooth is the sounder repair. That is more likely with a large cavity on a back tooth, or a tooth that has had a root canal. More detail is on the crowns and bridges page.

Whichever repair is chosen, new decay under the old filling is dealt with first. Keeping the edges clean and cutting back on frequent sugar helps the new filling last longer than the one it replaces.