Could flossing loosen the fillings?!
Question: Could flossing loosen the fillings!?
I have some sizable 2-4 surface fillings on teeth with very narrow gap in between, almost touching each other, so if I floss in that gap and pull out the floss there'll be a force to "bring" the fillings up and out!. Should I avoid flossing around these areas!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
I had EXACTLY that same thing happen to me!.
When I was in Jr!. High, my dentist did a very crummy job on a filling!. The filling material actually touched the tooth next to it!. Food was always getting stuck in there!. If I flossed, the rough filling would shred it!.
About 3 years ago, I purchased some of those flossers with a plastic handle!. Seemed like a good idea!. I was driving to work, and flossing my teeth!. I got to that tooth, and when I went to pull the flosser back out of the gap, it was stuck!. I didn't want to arrive at work with a flosser stuck in my mouth, so I gave it a good pull!. It came out, but lifted up the filling in the process!. I reached in, and pushed the filling back down!. It stayed!. A few days later I called my dentist to see about getting it fixed!. There was no answer!. It turned out that my dentist office had flooded, and they were closed!. A few months went by!. Every once in a while I could feel a dull ache from that tooth (food was getting in there and causing decay)!. Finally I got an appointment!. The filling was so crappy, that they did a crown!. That's what should have been done originally!. A week later, I had INTENSE pain!. The crown procedure had caused the tooth to die (happens in about 5% of crowns)!. I had an emergency root canal done!. Luckily that worked!.
Now there is a normal space between the teeth, and food doesn't get stuck in there anymore!.
So to answer your question, yes floss can pull up a filling!. It sounds like you had a crappy dentist do your filling!. You'll probably have to have crowns done eventually!.
My advice!? Don't use flossers!. Use regular floss!. The brand called "Glide" doesn't shred, and slides between tight spaces smoothly without shredding!. Instead of pulling the floss back up and out, just let go of one side and pull the floss out sideways!. That way you wont lift the filling!.
Definitely floss though!. Food was always getting stuck in that gap, and it actually caused a small amount of bone decay in my jaw!. Yeah, use Glide!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
When I was in Jr!. High, my dentist did a very crummy job on a filling!. The filling material actually touched the tooth next to it!. Food was always getting stuck in there!. If I flossed, the rough filling would shred it!.
About 3 years ago, I purchased some of those flossers with a plastic handle!. Seemed like a good idea!. I was driving to work, and flossing my teeth!. I got to that tooth, and when I went to pull the flosser back out of the gap, it was stuck!. I didn't want to arrive at work with a flosser stuck in my mouth, so I gave it a good pull!. It came out, but lifted up the filling in the process!. I reached in, and pushed the filling back down!. It stayed!. A few days later I called my dentist to see about getting it fixed!. There was no answer!. It turned out that my dentist office had flooded, and they were closed!. A few months went by!. Every once in a while I could feel a dull ache from that tooth (food was getting in there and causing decay)!. Finally I got an appointment!. The filling was so crappy, that they did a crown!. That's what should have been done originally!. A week later, I had INTENSE pain!. The crown procedure had caused the tooth to die (happens in about 5% of crowns)!. I had an emergency root canal done!. Luckily that worked!.
Now there is a normal space between the teeth, and food doesn't get stuck in there anymore!.
So to answer your question, yes floss can pull up a filling!. It sounds like you had a crappy dentist do your filling!. You'll probably have to have crowns done eventually!.
My advice!? Don't use flossers!. Use regular floss!. The brand called "Glide" doesn't shred, and slides between tight spaces smoothly without shredding!. Instead of pulling the floss back up and out, just let go of one side and pull the floss out sideways!. That way you wont lift the filling!.
Definitely floss though!. Food was always getting stuck in that gap, and it actually caused a small amount of bone decay in my jaw!. Yeah, use Glide!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Your fillings are supposed to contact each other or the teeth next to them!. This keeps the teeth from moving around, and can actually PREVENT food from getting stuck in between and plaque building up!.
Flossing, however, should NOT pull the fillings out!. Dental restorations are built with a lot of little "features" that provide both chemical and mechanical retention!. Properly placed amalgams can last for many, many years even under the forces of chewing, brushing and flossing!. When fillings fail (as the previous respondant discussed), there can be many different reasons--Eg, excessive force, long term wear and tear, or recurrent decay underneath to name a few, but they are built to resist normal everyday activity that includes flossing!. There is no way that anybody online can reasonably jump to the conclusion that your dentist is "crappy" with no background knowledge of either dentistry or your specific case!.
In short, flossing shouldn't be a problem, and would even help clean the area of normal tooth left between the filling and the gum, increasing the life of the filling!. If you notice that the floss gets really shredded when you pass it through those areas then you may want to ask your dentist, but you most likely don't have to worry!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Flossing, however, should NOT pull the fillings out!. Dental restorations are built with a lot of little "features" that provide both chemical and mechanical retention!. Properly placed amalgams can last for many, many years even under the forces of chewing, brushing and flossing!. When fillings fail (as the previous respondant discussed), there can be many different reasons--Eg, excessive force, long term wear and tear, or recurrent decay underneath to name a few, but they are built to resist normal everyday activity that includes flossing!. There is no way that anybody online can reasonably jump to the conclusion that your dentist is "crappy" with no background knowledge of either dentistry or your specific case!.
In short, flossing shouldn't be a problem, and would even help clean the area of normal tooth left between the filling and the gum, increasing the life of the filling!. If you notice that the floss gets really shredded when you pass it through those areas then you may want to ask your dentist, but you most likely don't have to worry!Www@Answer-Health@Com
No the fillings should stay where they are!.
If you're still concerned call your dentist and ask!.
=)Www@Answer-Health@Com
If you're still concerned call your dentist and ask!.
=)Www@Answer-Health@Com