Do You Have Fillings And Play Contact Sports? Keep Your Dentist's Number Close At Hand
Just about everybody has to get one or more fillings in their life. These fillings are designed to last years and should stay in place without trouble. However, playing rough contact sports can be a problem because it can cause a filling to fall out of your tooth and make it necessary to visit a dentist.
A Hard Blow May Loosen Fillings
Playing contact sports for fun on the weekend or after work is often a great way to blow off steam; however, a hard tackle from a friend or a teammate can cause dental problems that you might not anticipate. For example, even if it doesn't knock loose one or more teeth from your mouth, it could cause one of your fillings to shake loose or to loosen up even a little bit in your mouth.
When that happens, you're going to have a problem that can be hard to notice -- this is because a loose filling may stay in your mouth for days, weeks, or even months. You might notice it is loose, or you may not feel it at all. Unfortunately, this may cause the filling to fall out and end up either getting swallowed or spit out.
You May Not Notice The Missing Filling
The chances of losing a loose filling increase heavily if you continue playing contact sports. For example, another hard tackle could finally knock the filling out and force you to swallow it. While this won't be dangerous for your overall health, it does leave you with a cavity that can start getting worse because it is, once again, exposed to plaque.
Even worse, it can cause dental decay and infections to spread through your mouth and affect other aspects of your overall health. Therefore, it is critical to contact your dentist as soon as you realize that the filling is missing.
Ways A Dentist Can Help
A good dentist can fix a filling problem by quickly identifying where it fell out and replacing the filling. Even better, they may be able to fit you with a mouth guard that will protect your teeth while you play heavy sports.
Regular visits to a dentist are particularly important if you keep playing these sports as you age. Your teeth will get older as you grow, and there is a good chance that decay around the filling could open it up to falling out of your mouth again.
If you've taken a few hard hits lately in a contact sport and notice that a filling feels loose, you should talk to a dentist right away. They can fix the problem by either removing the problematic filling and replacing it, or repairing the damage.
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