Are you dealing with a dental emergency like a lost filling or chipped tooth? A temporary filling kit can be a quick fix to restore your tooth and relieve pain until you can visit a dentist.
While these DIY filling kits offer immediate relief, they can come with certain risks. This article covers everything you need to know about temporary tooth fillings and emergency dental kits, including:
- How to get a temporary tooth filling and other emergency treatments
- What type of teeth repairs can be done at home?
- Do temporary filling kits work?
- Where to buy a filling repair kit
It is important to remember that a temporary filling kit is only a short-term solution – a visit to the dentist is always essential for any dental issue.
In This Article
How do I get a temporary tooth filling and other emergency dentistry?
Dentistry is one of those things that should always be left to the professionals. However, sometimes things don't go as planned, and getting an appointment with a dentist around you may take some time.
When you have a dental emergency, you should always call your dentist's office first. They’re best placed to decide if you need urgent medical care. You can also call the NHS 111 helpline to get further advice.
Normally, you’ll be told to see someone quickly if:
- You’re in a lot of pain
- You experience swelling
- There’s excessive bleeding
- You're having trouble breathing
- You’ve had a trauma that damaged your teeth
Our dental emergency article explains more about what constitutes an emergency and what to do if you are in one of these situations. You might also want to read about some home remedies for toothache.
However, even if it is uncomfortable or unsightly, not all dental emergencies require urgent medical care. Sometimes you can use short-term fixes like dental filling kits or temporary tooth kits to get you through to your next appointment.
If you're having trouble getting hold of a dentist or the NHS, another option is to chat with a dentist at JustAnswer. Their US-based dentists are available 24/7 and can advise on the best course of action for your situation.
What teeth repairs can be done at home?
Although permanent tooth-filling kits in the UK are available, we advise against using them. Permanent tooth fillings should only be done by trained dentists.
There are a lot of risks involved in doing your own filling, including making the cavity in your tooth worse since bacteria get stuck under the filling, and keep destroying your tooth.
Below we'll go through the main temporary dental fixes you can undertake at home while waiting to get a dentist appointment.
You can also read our separate guide to chipped and broken teeth repair, which explains more about the possible long-term treatment options.
Tooth fillings at home
There are a few reasons that you might need to perform a DIY tooth filling. You can opt for a temporary filling kit to ease your suffering if:
- Your filling fell out and a temporary fix is needed
- You’ve chipped a tooth and it’s causing pain in your cheek or tongue
- You develop a cavity that causes pain and sensitivity
A temporary filling repair kit contains a putty-like material that you compress into the spot in question using the tool provided. Each brand of dental filling kit works slightly differently, so be sure to read all the instructions for the one you buy.
Temporary tooth filling kits can be quite effective short-term, but they do have some downsides:
- The colour is very unlikely to match your teeth
- They’re tough to use on your front teeth
- They might affect your bite when used on your back teeth
- You may have tooth decay that needs to be treated
- If bacteria gets under the DIY tooth filling, any decay will accelerate
All of this means that a temporary filling kit should be – as the name suggests – only a temporary fix while you wait to see a dentist.
Buying a filling repair kit
One of the most popular products for temporary filling kits at home is Dentek. The Dental First Aid Kit that they make comes with:
- Eugenol for cleaning and pain relief
- Temparin Max to do the filling
- A tooth container to store any broken teeth
- An applicator tool
An Amazon customer reviewed the Dentek filling kit as follows: “As a temporary fix, it works wonderfully. It helped keep me (nearly) pain-free until I could get to the dentist.”
Since most travel insurance only covers dental pain relief, this kit would be handy when you are travelling. In the event that you lose a filling while abroad, you would be completely on your own without a temporary filling repair kit.
Here, a YouTuber talks you through how to use the Dentek Temporary Tooth Repair kit – keep in mind that this is a different version that doesn’t come with the tooth saver or eugenol.
Repairing a damaged tooth at home
An unattended chipped tooth can cause numerous problems. The sharp edges left behind can rub against your cheek and cause mouth ulcers or graze your tongue as you eat and speak.
There are a few ways that a dentist can repair a broken tooth, but if that's not an option right away, you can use a temporary dental repair kit. It should smooth off the sharp edges and relieve any tooth sensitivity you might have from deeper parts of the tooth being exposed.
You might struggle to do a major repair on one of your front teeth with a temporary filling kit. The material doesn’t bond to your teeth in the same way that dental glue does, and it’s not as strong. Sticking to soft foods will help it last that bit longer, but it's best to try avoiding biting with the tooth altogether.
If you've lost all or most of a front tooth, a temporary tooth kit may help in the short term. We'll get more information about these later on.
Using a crown repair kit
A dental crown is designed to be a long-lasting tooth restoration. It should fit snugly over your tooth and last for 5 years or more – if you take good care of it. A crown can come loose if:
- You take a knock to your jaw
- You’ve been grinding your teeth
- There’s decay under the crown
- It’s an old crown and the adhesive is wearing away
Whatever the reason, you should first visit a dentist if your crown is loose or has fallen out completely.
Toofypegs makes an Emergency Temporary Repair Kit that includes cement to fix loose crowns. It comes with two capsules of cement, enough for two applications, which you need to mix before use. The Toofypegs instructions say to use a drop of water to mix a tub of cement. They really do mean a drop, so don’t put too much in!
As a crown repair kit, it works well on both permanent and temporary tooth caps. A recent Amazon reviewer wrote, “I bought this to fix a porcelain crown that fell out. It was easy to use and the crown feels like it's there to stay. I'd definitely buy again.”
Do note that despite this reviewer's optimism, these crown and filling repair kits are only a short-term fix.
Temporary tooth replacement kits
Losing a tooth is never a pleasant experience. A back tooth falling out is maybe a little less traumatic since people are less likely to see it all the time. Losing a front tooth is a whole different matter.
Having a missing tooth can be the result of many things:
- Your denture got lost or is broken
- You had an accident that knocked it out
- It's fallen out because of decay, gum disease or infection
To temporarily fill the gap and make it less obvious that you're missing a tooth, you can buy a temporary tooth kit.
A popular product designed for this purpose is the Temptooth Temporary Tooth Replacement Kit. It works by melting down plastic beads and forming them into the shape of the missing tooth.
While you can't wear the tooth while sleeping, it can last for weeks or even months if made correctly. One kit contains enough material for up to 10 false teeth.
“Miraculous,” is how one reviewer on Amazon described Temptooth, going on to say, “When a front crown falls out with no hope of getting to a dentist, you despair! Temp tooth to the rescue!! So happy I found it as it’s amazing, I couldn’t understand how it could possibly work but it really does, it’s fantastic and has stopped me looking like Nanny McPhee.”
Although the tooth you make won't look completely natural, it should make you feel less self-conscious until you can visit a dentist for a longer-term solution.
Do temporary filling kits really work?
Although not a perfect solution, doing a temporary tooth filling at home for urgent dental work can be effective short term. You will need to take great care when eating though; hard, crunchy, chewy and sticky foods are probably best avoided if you want your dental repair to last.
The main purpose of temporary filling kits and other emergency DIY treatments is to relieve pain and improve your aesthetics. A homemade temporary tooth filling might last for a month or two, but it will eventually wear down or fall out.
The biggest risk with using a tooth repair kit is that you delay getting treatment for any underlying problems. In particular, tooth decay will get worse over time if you don't see a dentist. Additionally, a crown cemented at home will only last so long before it needs to be professionally re-cemented or replaced.
There’s also a chance that you could make your DIY dental filling too big, which could cause lasting problems. When you get a filling at the dentist, they ensure your bite is perfect after the work is finished. If you accidentally make your temporary filling too big, your teeth won’t sit right and you could end up with:
- Headaches
- Jaw pain
- Wobbly teeth
- Damage to surrounding teeth
To help you decide whether to use a tooth repair kit before you can get to a dentist, here is a summary of the pros and cons:
Pros of DIY temporary fillings, etc | Cons of DIY temporary fillings, etc |
Temporary pain relief | Can easily fall out or break if not done correctly |
Inexpensive solution | Could cause long term problems if not done right |
Relatively simple to use | Increased chances of decay under the filling |
Stops cosmetic concerns | Difficult to get an exact colour match |
Conclusion
Money, time, and life can all get in the way of getting to the dentist right away. Using one of the temporary tooth repair kits mentioned here should do little harm if you use them correctly and as intended. They have the potential to be an effective and convenient temporary solution to ease any pain and improve aesthetics.
It's also not a bad idea to have an emergency dental kit as part of your travel essentials since problems always seem to unfold at the worst times!
Take note that it is advisable to always call a dentist or the NHS helpline first before deciding on your course of emergency treatment. If you’re in a lot of pain, experience excessive bleeding, or there’s a lot of swelling, be sure to seek immediate medical attention.
FAQs
Can I get a permanent tooth filling kit in the UK?
Although there are places to buy kits that claim to offer a permanent solution, they’re best avoided. Tooth cavity filling at home could trap bacteria under the filling, accelerating any decay.
If going to a dentist isn’t an option in the immediate future, you can use a temporary filling kit to cover the problem from a cosmetic perspective.
How much will I pay for an emergency dentist appointment?
NHS dental charges in an emergency are the same as normal appointments. Private practices can set their own charges, and dental insurance usually covers emergencies.
If you’re in a lot of pain, have excessive bleeding, or have swelling that's affecting your breathing, you should seek immediate medical care. You can contact NHS111 to find a local emergency dentist or call your private practice.
Can you fix a loose crown at home?
Toofypegs makes an Emergency Temporary Repair Kit that includes cement to fix loose crowns. As a crown repair kit, it works well on both permanent and temporary tooth caps. However, this kit is only a short-term solution, and it is best to see a dentist for any long-term crown problems and treatments.
What is the best temporary filling kit?
One of the most popular products for temporary filling kits at home is Dentek. The Dental First Aid Kit that they make comes with Eugenol (cleaning and pain relief), Tamparin Max (filling), a tooth container for broken teeth and an applicator tool.
The Guardian: The rise of DIY dentistry: Britons doing their own fillings to avoid NHS bill. Consulted 4th May 2020.