Complications from a Filling. The two main types of problems that cause severe pain after a filling are damage and decay. Most patients are fine after a few hours, though sometimes recovery may take longer. If the pain and discomfort persists for longer than two weeks, it is time to contact the dentist.
The deeper the cavity, the more inflammation, and sensitivity can be expected after the placement of a new filling. A patient can experience dental discomfort as a result which can last for a few days or even weeks. Most teeth do recover from this type of dental discomfort with time.
When a cavity reaches close to the tooth's nerve, a deep filling is required, and you may experience severe tooth pain afterward. This happens because a deep filling can irritate the nerve inside the tooth.
If the seal between the filling and tooth enamel breaks down, decay-causing bacteria and food particles can get under the filling. These bacteria are hard to remove easily with a toothbrush. A person will then be at risk of developing additional decay in the tooth.
Dental fillings are used as a restorative measure in teeth that have been affected by decay or damage. It is a common procedure and most fillings are carried out without any issues, but sometimes dentists may perform the treatment poorly, which can lead to a number of problems as a result.
A bad filling could cause you to feel some sharp tooth pain when biting down and chewing with the tooth and may undergo changes in texture and coloring in the surrounding tooth enamel as bacteria affects the seam that seals the filling to the tooth enamel.
The Contours of Your Teeth Feel “Off”
A loose or damaged filling may also cause your bite to feel off when you close your mouth. The snug fit of your teeth is called occlusion, and any change in the fillings may be noticed as your teeth interlock when your mouth is closed.
In general, adults develop an average of three cavities during their lifetimes. This means that the average adult has three or four fillings in their mouth. Some patients end up with ten or more fillings depending on how well they care for their teeth.
The longer you wait to fill a cavity, the more likely it becomes that you will need a root canal to repair the damage to the tooth.
When fitted badly, filling can actually increase decay, meaning more fillings are needed in other teeth.
This is a normal occurrence after undergoing oral procedures such as tooth removal or cavity fillings. Sensitivity occurs because the nerves inside the tooth swell after the dental procedure.
redness inside the mouth, or outside the mouth on the face or jaw. sensitivity to hot or cold food and drink in the affected area. a bad taste in your mouth. difficulty opening your mouth and chewing food.
For many patients, getting a root canal is no more painful than getting a cavity filled thanks to the use of local anesthetic and modern endodontic techniques. Most people report feeling comfortable throughout their procedure, feeling pressure and movement at times, but not pain.
There are many signs that your filling may need to be replaced. Some of these include sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages, an uneven surface, cracking, chipping, or decay around the filling, a broken tooth again, shifting of a tooth's position, or a change in the color of a tooth after it has been filled.
How do you know if you need a root canal? Root canals are needed for a cracked tooth from injury or genetics, a deep cavity, or issues from a previous filling. Patients generally need a root canal when they notice their teeth are sensitive, particularly to hot and cold sensations.
Like most ailments, the longer you leave a cavity without treatment, the worse it's going to get. In a span of 3-6 months cavities can reach the nerve of your tooth.
It can take as long as five years from the time a cavity begins to develop to when the tooth needs treatment to prevent the cavity from spreading further.
In the case of a deeper cavity that has reached the pulp or nerve canals, you may notice a bad taste in your mouth. Severe spontaneous pain, pain to pressure, pain that wakes you up at night and pain to hot are often signs of an infected nerve.
If the decay reaches your tooth's main structure, called dentin, then a filling can replace the lost tooth structure after your dentist has cleaned the cavity of bacteria and infection. However, if it reaches the tooth's center chamber, called the pulp, a filling may no longer suffice to address it.
Cavities that develop quickly and unexpectedly may be the result of: Sudden Dietary Changes: You might have changed your diet in some way, including drinking more soda, adding more sugar to your coffee, eating more starchy or acidic foods, or consuming more sweets.
Though good oral hygiene that includes brushing and flossing helps in preventing cavities, you may still get cavities. The reasons can be many, like the spaces between teeth that easily trap food, consuming too much cavity-causing foods and beverages, avoiding regular professional-level cleanings and checkups, etc.
If your dentist says cavities can not go away on their own, they are lying. Ask the dentist to show you how your cavity is beyond the first layer of the tooth; then and only then should a cavity be fixed.
If the filling has not been adequately prepared, the mixture may not bond properly to the tooth tissue and this may cause the filling to fall out or cause a gap, which could then allow further decay to form and lead to long lasting toothache as the pulp of the tooth becomes infected.
Once you have more filling material than natural tooth material your tooth no longer holds enough strength. In this instance, you might need an inlay, onlay, or dental crown to protect your tooth. You might also need a restoration instead of filling replacement if your tooth has several fillings in the same tooth.