I had a small filling put in a bottom molar about 2 weeks ago. It took a while because my dentist couldn't get the band around my tooth in order to fill it(don't really know what it is for, but that's what she told me). When I could feel on that side of my mouth again, my tooth was very sore. I couldn't bite down on anything. After a week of it not getting any better and some jaw pain, I called back and they told me to come in and have the filling adjusted. She smoothed down the filling a little more and even took an x-ray which she showed me. There was no air bubble or anything out of the ordinary, but my tooth is still sore and I can't bite down on anything harder than gum on that side. Flossing around the tooth is almost too painful to do, also. I guess I need to call back and possibly have the whole filling removed and a new one put in. She said this rarely happens, but does occasionally have to be done. Has anyone experienced anything like this and what was the problem? The last time I saw the dentist was last Thursday. Should I give it more time or call back tomorrow? Thanks!!
Thank you for all the advice I received! I called the dentist and she said to give it until after Thanksgiving and if it still was bothering me to call her back. She said that sometimes a nerve has to calm down after the filling has been put in a tooth. This could take several weeks. She,also, said that flossing is painful because the cavity was between two molars and that was causing the pain when I floss. Again thanks for your help.
You could be developing a bone infection in your jaw - I would be on her doorstep this morning, or go see another dentist.
Sounds like you might need a root canal if the dentist had to go so far down that you're still have sensitivity on that filling. Definitely go back and do what your dentist recommends (everything you've described sounds normal to me; sounds like she knows what she's doing). Also, with so much stuff going on in that area, you might also develop an infection. You might ask your dentist for an oral antibiotic prescription to prevent any infection.
That does not sound right for a small filling. A filling just does not hurt that long afterward if at all. It sounds like a nerve ending has been exposed or something. I would go back and if the dentist did not make me feel better, I would get another opinion.
I don't have a lot of issues with my teeth but I have had a root canal, filling, braces and crown. The filling was the least painful of all.
I agree with the clove oil.
Hope you feel better soon.
Hello Carolyn,
I'd go back to the dentist. make sure you don't need a root canal... or have an infection.(I hope you don't). in the meantime, you can put 1 or 2 drops of clove oil (essential oil) on a q-tip and dab it around that tooth. many dentists use clove oil to numb the gum area where they'll put the anesthesia shot. So I've been using it for when my kids have a toothache that's only bearable because the toothfairy will come =) Good luck and I hope you feel better. ~C.~
I have really sensitive teeth and mine hurt for a long time after work is done.
But I would go back and have her look at it again, maybe on Thursday... that way enough time would have passed. But make the appt today so they have room for you and let them know if the pain is gone you'll want to cancel and not be charged for the appt. or for canceling.
Also, take whatever pain meds you usually take, not aspirin though, like Advil... to reduce the pain and the swelling around the tooth is there was any.
this happened to me about a year ago... what they determined what the cause was....
the filling was deep... the drilling had gone way down very close to the nerve. so every time i would bite down to chew food -- it aggravated the nerve still. And the longer i waited, the more sensitive the nerve got.
The solution.... they had to "calm the nerve down" by putting a temporary filling in. It had some agent in there to calm the nerve down but it's temporary for about 6 wks or so. It worked immediately!! My tooth felt better. But they needed time to keep that temporary in there so the nerve would not be aggravated when they put the permanent filling in.
But when they finally did, it was fine! No problem!!
EDIT: forgot to mention that they didn't discover how deep the filling was until they had drilled away the old filling. They couldn't accurately see anything on the xray. Also to give you an idea of how bad that nerve was, when i went in to get the temporary filling put in... they had to give me 2 shots to numb me completely. The first didn't work ... and I could feel him drilling on my tooth. Yowch!! He was shocked I could feel that. So he gave me something stronger and that worked, thank goodness!
Oh man, I never take dental health for granted again!
So maybe you should ask about this possible treatment. It really helped for me!!
Whatever you do, you should not live with the pain. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. Don't ignore it. It could get worse.
I have sensitive teeth too, but I know the difference between that sensitive feeling and that painful feeling! big pain difference!
