Doesn’t filling a cavity relieve tooth pain? What, though, if your sensitivity persists despite treatment? Fortunately, the sensitivity that often follows getting a dental filling usually subsides not long after the treatment is complete.

Extreme pain is not typical and must be checked out by a dentist in Yorba Linda, CA. Please contact your dentist right away if you experience significant discomfort, fever, or swelling following a tooth filling.

A Primer on Dental Fillings

In the field of dentistry, fillings are among the most frequently performed operations. A local anesthetic is injected by the dentist around the tooth as part of this standard procedure. Once all decay is gone, the dentist will fill the newly created gap with dental repair material. Depending on the patient’s budget and aesthetic preferences, dental fillings can be fabricated from a variety of materials, including gold, porcelain, amalgam (silver), or tooth-colored composite resin.

After-Filling Sensitivity

After the local anesthetic wears off before a filling, it is normal for the patient to feel some sensitivity. The feeling is often described as a sharp, short burst of pain or cold that swiftly passes. Some things in the environment are known to bring on or amplify tooth sensitivity.

Causes of tooth sensitivity

• Foods and drinks can be hot, cold, acidic, or sweet.
• Wind or air that is very cold
• The force of biting or chewing

As a general rule, dental fillings do not cause significant discomfort. Do not be a martyr and suffer in silence if your suffering is preventing you from living a normal life. Your toothache may be an indication of a more serious issue that requires the attention of a dentist.

Extreme pain after a filling is unusual but may be a sign of the following conditions:

Sensitized Nerve

A tooth’s roots contain a nerve (unless you had a root canal treatment, which removes the nerves from an infected tooth).

Misalignment of the Teeth in the Mouth

Dentists strive to make fillings look like the patient’s original tooth, but sometimes the restoration ends up being somewhat taller.

Pulpitis

When a tooth’s pulp becomes inflamed, the result is called pulpitis. Pulpitis can arise after a filling, but it is unusual. Tooth extraction or root canal therapy is frequently recommended.

Hypersensitivity Reaction

Sometimes people develop reactions to fillings they didn’t know were there. According to one study, most patients who experience an allergic reaction to their fillings do so because they are made of amalgam.