To maintain your fillings, simply follow good oral hygiene practices. Visit your dentist regularly, preferably once every six months, brush your teeth at least twice a day using a fluoride-containing toothpaste, and floss at least once daily.

If you notice anything different about your dental fillings, contact your dentist immediately. While filling a tooth is an easy task for an experienced dentist, some inevitable problems may arise in the process.

One of these is pain and sensitivity. This normally happens in the first few weeks after a filling is placed. The filled tooth may react to sweet foods, pressure, air, or temperature. Usually, this disappears and no medication is required. If not, tell your dentist.

If biting is painful, this may be caused by the filling that needs to be reshaped. Pain may also be due to two different metal surfaces that touch. This results when an amalgam filling touches a gold filling. No treatment is necessary in this case since the pain disappears on its own with time.

The act of chewing, grinding and clenching teeth can likewise cause dental fillings to wear away, chip or crack. Sometimes this is discovered during a routine dental checkup. Untreated, this can cause trouble later.

All this can be avoided if you pay more attention to your teeth. It may sound corny but the old adage still rings true – be true to your teeth and they will never be false to you!