Tooth Pain After Filling
One of the more common symptoms of a dental cavity is pain in the affected area of the tooth and surrounding gums, though some dental cavities don’t have any symptoms until tooth decay has progressed. If your dentist discovers a cavity at your next dental checkup, treating this cavity early on can prevent the tooth from decaying further and can keep the pain of tooth decay in check. While fillings help eliminate the pain of cavities, it’s possible to experience some tooth pain after a filling. Some sensitivity is expected with a fresh dental filling, particularly to hot and cold foods, biting pressure, and extreme air temperature, though these symptoms should subside within a week or two following the filling procedure; see your dentist if pain or sensitivity continue for more than a few weeks. Possible sources of tooth pain after a filling include ill-fitting fillings, fillings that crack, and allergic reactions to the filling material.
If you have a cavity and need a filling, your dentist will review any questions you have and make sure you’re prepared for an efficient, comfortable recovery. In general, dentists recommend avoiding common triggers for tooth sensitivity, like foods and drinks that are extremely cold or hot. Toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth can also help reduce sensitivity and pain following a dental filling. If you notice that your filling doesn’t feel natural when you bite, see your dentist; sometimes, a filling that is too tall can interfere with the bite and cause discomfort, and these tall fillings can usually be easily filed down to a normal height. If your filling cracks, you may notice that the pain or sensitivity you experienced from your cavity doesn’t subside, as the decayed area isn’t sufficiently protected. Again, see your dentist if your teeth don’t feel healthy and normal a few weeks after your filling. Allergic reactions to dental fillings can also cause pain following the filling procedure. These reactions are most common when silver amalgam fillings are used; while dental amalgam is medical-grade, it can contain small amounts of a variety of different metals, so make sure to tell your dentist if you have any allergies as you’re deciding on the type of material for your fillings.
It’s not uncommon to feel some soreness in the teeth or gums following a dental procedure, regardless of the type or extent of the procedure. To place a tooth filling, your dentist will first numb the area where the cavity is located, injecting local anesthetic into the oral tissues and waiting for the area to become fully numb. Then, the dentist will remove the decay, drilling through enamel and dentin and leaving only healthy dental tissue before filling the treated area with the material you and your dentist have decided upon. Once the area has been filled, shaped, and cured, the dentist will file and polish the filling to make sure the integrity of the bite is maintained. If the filling procedure has led to soreness in your oral tissues, products designed for sensitive teeth and gums can help keep the oral cavity clean while keeping sensitivity to a minimum. If sensitivity continues, or if the area of the filling becomes painful at any point following your treatment, call your doctor for a follow-up appointment. The issue won’t solve itself, but in most cases, tooth pain after a filling can be remedied with some relatively easy fixes from your dentist, and you can be on your way to pain-free teeth that are free from damaging decay.