Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
DENTAL HEALTH…TEMPORARY FILLINGS
By Dr. Neromini Fagu
A temporary filling is just that, a filling that is placed for a very short period of time to serve a particular purpose. Generally, temporary fillings tend to wear more quickly and may fracture or fall out if left in place for extended periods. 
They also don’t offer the same protection to your tooth as a permanent filling and need to be replaced to avoid risking the health of the tooth.
Indications for temporary fillings
Temporary fillings may be used under the following circumstances:
· In between filling appointments–some fillings can’t be done in one appointment, such as indirect fillings, and you may need several appointments. Also, procedures such as internal bleaching require that the bleaching material be sealed in the tooth for the process to work, so temporary fillings may be used.
· Toothache – if you are experiencing pain on a tooth that may be restorable, your dentist may place a temporary filling to relieve the pain and protect the pulp from bacteria and infection. These temporary fillings contain medicaments with analgesic and antiseptic properties. If the tooth heals then a final filling may be placed or if not then root canal treatment or extraction must be considered.
· Emergency appointment or insufficient time – if your dentist squeezed you in for an emergency there may not be sufficient time to complete the necessary work so a temporary filling may be placed until your next visit.
· Root canal procedure – a temporary filling can be done if your dentist needs to wait before doing a root canal. Also, in between treatment and prior to the final restoration temporary fillings may be placed to accommodate easy access to the tooth.
· Sensitive tooth–following a filling some nerves may become hyper sensitive to cold, hot and sweet and if those nerves don’t settle down naturally then instead of putting another filling your dentist may place a sedative temporary filling until the nerves calm down.
· Esthetic restoration- if you accidentally chip a front tooth you may be embarrassed when speaking and smiling before permanent treatment is completed and so a short term solution would be to rebuild the tooth with a temporary filling.
· Exposed pulps– during a procedure the pulp may sometimes become exposed and so to prevent it from being further irritated, a filling may be placed temporarily.
How to care for your temporary filling
Your dentist will let you know when to return for the placement of your permanent filling but in the mean time you need to take care to ensure that the temporary stays firmly in place. Maintain proper oral hygiene by brushing twice a day and flossing. But when flossing, avoid lifting the floss up and out of your tooth and instead pull it forward from between your teeth. This is especially important if the temporary filling is placed on surfaces between teeth. You should also avoid eating sticky and hard foods and chewing gum.
Types of Temporary Filling Material
There are various temporary filling materials that are used in dentistry today. Temporary fillings must seal the tooth and be quick and easy to place and remove. They can be chemically cured, which means that the material will harden when mixed or come in contact with saliva. On the other hand, they can be light-cured and so harden when exposed to a special blue dental light. Most times the colour of the material is in contrast to tooth colour and may be very white, cream, whitish grey or even pink or blue.
This difference in colour aids in the easy identification of the filling for removal.
Temporary fillings are not meant to last for extensive periods so be sure to attend your follow up appointment with your dentist to have it replaced. If you keep it longer than it was intended for then you risk infection, dental complication and possibly loss of the tooth.
For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to [email protected].
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