FILLING BROKE HURTS BAD!

Hi, i just had a small amount of tooth and filling break off a tooth i had filled about 1 1/2- 2 years ago.
I dont know how it happened, but it just hurts so bad off and on and cant chew on it. I was at the dentist a few months ago for an exam and the dentist told me all my filled teeth looked good no cracks, ect. I was just wondering if anyone knows what is done to fix a tooth that has already been filled, do they just replace the part of the filling that was lost or do they have to do another procedure to fix it ?
Any help is very appreciated!
Thanks, Karen

[lynn117]

it depends. sometimes they need to refill the tooth. they do the whole tooth not just the broken part. if it is broken badly, cracked, or already has a very large filling a crown may be required. if the damage is very severe a root canal may be necessary with or without a crown. you need to get it checked asap since the structure is now compromised it could break further or get infected. hopefully they can just refill it. good luck!