What happens if a filling is too deep? If you have undergone a deep filling and are experiencing pain, it may be that the filling has reached a nerve and has irritated it. The nerve should heal itself, but if pain or sensitivity does not subside within two to four weeks, dental intervention may be required.
If the filling is too close to the nerve, it may get infected slowly. Dentists can't predict the time frame for the tooth to become infected. If infected, you may experience a throbbing pain or a dental abscess.
It is possible to suffer nerve injury through dental work; this can be after an injection for anaesthesia, tooth replacement, crowns or after a tooth extraction (see Wisdom Teeth). There are two main nerves in the mouth that can be susceptible to damage these are the lingual nerve and the inferior alveolar nerve.
Lingual Nerve Injury from Anesthetic Injections
Lingual nerve injuries caused by a dental injection may be described as “lingual nerve paresthesia” or “lingual nerve dysesthesia.” Lingual nerve dysesthesia would typically describe an abnormal sensation that becomes intense or painful.
More often than not, these injuries are debilitating and permanent. There are a number of nerves that can be damaged during dental procedures, but the inferior alveolar nerve (“IAN”) and the lingual nerve (“LN”) are the two nerves most frequently injured.
Treatment for Dental Nerve Pain
One of the most common procedures to relieve pain relating to nerve damage is a root canal. During this procedure, damaged tissue is removed, the interior of the tooth is cleaned, and it's filled with a sterile, sturdy material.
With treatment, dental nerve damage can heal in six to eight weeks. If, however, the effects last more than six months, then it is considered permanent nerve damage. Depending on the cause of injury, there are various treatments that may be applied to treat dental nerve damage.
If you have been injured after seeing a dentist, you may wonder if you can sue for medical negligence. The short answer is yes.
The nerves are located in the middle of the tooth, within soft tissue called pulp. The pulp also contains blood vessels and connective tissue. If this part of the tooth becomes infected or damaged, your dentist may opt to relieve your discomfort by removing the nerves causing your pain.
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.
Signs Of Nerve Damage
If you suffered nerve damage following a dental procedure, you may experience: Numbness or lack of feeling in the gums, cheeks, jaw, face, or tongue. A tingling or pulling sensation in these areas. Pain or burning.
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.
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.
While dentists can certainly be found liable for negligence, it's important to consider the amount of compensation you stand to gain before pursuing a claim. Medical negligence claims must meet certain thresholds within the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) to be viable when taking into account legal fees and other costs.
You can sue your dentist if they have failed to provide an acceptable standard of care. This usually occurs when their direct action or inaction has led you to suffer avoidable injury, harm or suffering.
Some of the signs of nerve damage after receiving a dental injection may include: A lack of sensation in the area treated even after the anaesthetic should have worn off. Numbness or lack of feeling in the tongue, gums, cheeks, jaw or face. A pulling or tingly sensation in these areas.
A tooth should not hurt, ache, or cause you discomfort from a new filling for an extended period of time. Any sensitivity from a tooth filling should be expected to go away quickly, at least within two to four weeks.
Your enamel and cementum usually protect the nerve from exposure, but deep fillings can reach the nerve endings and cause uncomfortable, sharp sensations. However, irritated nerves from deep fillings can heal over time.
Failed fillings, especially ones that have not yet fallen out, are serious because once the seal between the filling and your tooth has broken, there is a gateway for bacteria to enter the space behind the filling. You can't clean behind a filling with a brush or with floss, so the rate of decay is rapid.
There is no single number of how many times you can have a filling replaced. Usually, we will stop replacing the dental filling after the hole becomes too large. Once you have more filling material than natural tooth material your tooth no longer holds enough strength.
Is There Anything A Dental X-Ray Won't Help You Diagnose? X-rays only show hard tissue, so we can only see the teeth and bone, not inside the pulp of the tooth.
A nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test — also called a nerve conduction study (NCS) — measures how fast an electrical impulse moves through your nerve. NCV can identify nerve damage. During the test, your nerve is stimulated, usually with electrode patches attached to your skin.