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I Have A Slightly Damaged Mercury Tooth Should I Be Worried

Posted on 2 days ago

Question: I have a slightly damaged mercury tooth filling and my dentist asked me to come back to have it replaced. She said it wasn't urgent and it is scheduled for about 3 weeks from now. However, I think some of it may have broken off when I ate cashews just now. I felt something rough as I was chewing, and I spit everything out. I read that if any part of a filling is swallowed it's not a big deal, but if it is inhaled, it can be. I'm worried because I significantly grind my teeth at night. I do have a night guard, though. Is there a risk I could grind off part of the filling at night and inhale it or choke on it? I think this is a tooth in the back upper right.

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Inhalatcapn be fatal, although chances are less

Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Thanks for the query.

Well, chances of a piece of filling being chipped off and inhaled are less and if you wear night guard tgen chances of chipping are also less.

But to delay the re-filling for 3 weeks is not advisable, so better get it done early if possible to avoid re-infection in tooth.
As of any portion of the tooth filling chips off there are increased chances of food accumulation in that area and can lead to secondary infection.

Hope this helps.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad