Lingering Tooth Pain Weeks After a Filling: Is This Normal?
Table of Contents
- Tooth Pain Proceeding a Filling
- Reasons for Lingering Tooth Pain
- Treating Pain After a Filling
- When You Should See Your Dentist
- How Can A Dentist Ease The Pain?
Tooth pain in the first day or two after getting a filling is normal, but this pain should ease after about two days. If it does not go away — if it lingers or gets worse — return to your dentist for help.
There are several reasons that your filling might cause pain, often because it is cracked or ill-fitting, which your dentist can fix.
Is Tooth Pain After a Filling Normal?
Experiencing pain, swelling, and bleeding can all be signs that you have a cavity in a tooth that needs a filling. Pain before getting a filling is normal, and getting a filling should eventually solve the pain.
However, you might experience pain after getting a filling, which can indicate that there is another problem. Pain after the first day or two is normal, but ongoing or worsening pain means you should go back to your dentist.
Reasons for Lingering Tooth Pain After a Filling
You might develop tooth pain after getting a filling due to:
Hot, cold, and sweet food can all cause some dental sensitivity and even pain as a reaction. These sensations might be heightened after you get a filling. Air temperature and pressure from biting down can also cause pain on a new filling.
A filling is a traumatic event that can damage the surrounding tissues. The filling may also react differently to heat and pressure, which can cause pain.
Researchers say most cases of sensitivity fade within about 24 hours. While some types of fillings are associated with increased sensitivity, differences between them aren’t measurable after about a week. In other words, any filling you get might cause pain as you adjust to it. However, this discomfort is typically short-lived.
Modern fillings are very durable, and researchers say most people have them for 10 years or longer. However, they do take time to cure and harden. If you don’t care for your filling properly, it can crack or loosen. When it does, air, food, and fluids can enter the space and cause pain.
This complication is rare in people who take good care of their fillings after their treatment. Don’t eat anything hard or use hard-bristled brushes until your dentist says it’s safe to do so.
If the filling does not fit properly in your tooth, it can rub against the dentin and the root, causing irritation. The area may also allow infection to take hold or spread. Your dentist can fix a filling that does not fit properly.
Researchers say that one in 2,600 people visit the emergency room for dental abscesses—pockets of infection underneath a tooth. While dentists work hard to prevent infections, the trauma of drilling out infected tissues and replacing them with a filling could allow bacteria to grow. When it does, it can cause severe pain and other symptoms like fever and swelling.
An infection like this causes more than mild discomfort. Instead, you may experience throbbing pain accompanied by a fever. Treatment typically involves an oral antibiotic, but if the problem doesn’t go away, your doctor may need to make an incision to remove diseased tissue and clean the area. This is a medical emergency, so don’t delay telling your doctor when these problems appear.
Most materials used in dental fillings are nonreactive, but it is possible to have an allergic reaction to some of the materials used, which can cause pain, inflammation, and bleeding. There may be other symptoms like feeling tired, developing a local rash near the filling, or itching. If you know you are allergic to certain materials like silver, be sure to tell your dentist.
A lingering discomfort after a filling will typically resolve without the need for any special treatment within a few days but usually not longer than a week or two.
Treating Tooth Pain Immediately After a Filling
In the first few days after getting a filling, topical anesthetic or over-the-counter painkillers can ease pain you experience. You may also consider:
Using a toothbrush for sensitive teeth, which will have softer bristles.
Brushing more gently than you normally do, especially around the tooth with the new filling.
Avoiding foods that might cause pain or sensitivity, like very hot or cold foods, crunchy food, acidic foods, or sugary food.
Rinsing the mouth with warm saltwater after brushing and flossing.
Continued or worsening pain means you should contact your dentist to check the filling. While you wait, over-the-counter pain medications, along with cold compresses, can lessen your discomfort.
How can your dentist ease the pain?
You’re wondering: Why does my tooth filling hurt after months? Your dentist can not only answer the question but help you find relief. A thorough examination can help your doctor determine what’s gone wrong, and then you can get a comprehensive treatment program that can help.
Your treatment plan might include one of the following methods.
Adjustments
Some people feel pain after a filling because the material is too thick. You may feel like your tooth is taller than it should be, and you may experience pain in the tooth and your jaw.
Your dentist can use a special piece of paper to measure how well your teeth fit together after your filling. A too-tall tooth will leave a deeper impression than its partners. Treating it means filing down the filling until it feels more comfortable.
Replacements
Your tooth filling should last for years. In studies, researchers say the majority of people have the same fillings for 10 years or longer. However, some people are sensitive to the materials used inside their fillings. For example, composite fillings can sometimes lead to increased sensitivity and pain.
You may opt to adjust to your filling and the new sensations it delivers. However, if you can’t get relief, your dentist could remove the filling and replace it with a new one. This procedure can be painful, as it involves using a drill to replace the old filling and then crafting a new one. Only choose this option after you’ve talked over the alternatives with your dentist.
Infection control
Your dentist takes great care to keep your mouth clean during your tooth filling. However, small bacterial colonies may be present, and they could enter the space below your filling and cause an abscess. This is a medical emergency, researchers say, as untreated abscesses can lead to severe sickness.
Your doctor will take a small tissue sample from your mouth and send it to a laboratory for testing. Once the bacteria has been identified, you can use oral antibiotics to treat the infection. If it persists, your doctor may need to place you under anesthesia, open the wound, and flush out the dead tissue and bacterial colonies.
When You Should Return to Your Dentist
Fortunately, pain after getting a filling is rare. Most people recover quickly and experience satisfaction with their treatment. If you feel discomfort after your filling, it’s smart to contact your dentist and ask for an assessment.
Some symptoms are severe and should prompt you to call your dentist’s office immediately. They include the following:
Severe pain around your tooth or in your jaw
Swelling of the tooth and jaw
Heat or redness around the affected tooth
Fever
Hoarseness
Drooling
Call your dentist immediately. If you can’t contact your dentist, visit an urgent care center or emergency room for help. These symptoms indicate a significant infection your medical team should treat right away.
Don’t avoid a tooth filling
Studies suggest that more than 60% of Americans are afraid of the dentist, and 39% are afraid of dental pain. Reading articles about lingering discomfort after a tooth filling could make these fears more intense.
Know that most people get a tooth filling because they’re in pain. The procedure may not be relaxing, but it’s typically short. Your dentist can use all sorts of tools, including inhalant gas and spray-on anesthetics, to reduce your pain and concerns. If you’re overwhelmed at any point, you have a right to stop the proceedings and ask for help.
Modern dentists know that people are frightened, and they’ve likely worked with people just like you in the past. Don’t be afraid to get the help you need for a healthy smile.