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I had a filling after I broke my tooth, now I can’t bite :(

T

Thomaskevin2020

Junior member
Joined
Dec 28, 2020
Messages
6
Location
Florida
Hi everyone, I’m in desperate help.

I was flossing and a piece of my tooth came out (2 teeth behind my k9 tooth) I couldn’t drink or eat

I went to the dentist and she said a Root canal wasn’t necessary and it’s not infected so she just filled it, I was able to drink again, (no pain to cold or hot either) but now when I bite on it it hurts..

she did file it down but whenever I bite anything hard on that tooth (pizza crust, chicken fingers, toast, etc) I feel a sharp pain and it’s been 4 weeks now since I had it filled

will my tooth get better over time..? To where I can eat again on it? Again I have no throbbing pain and no cold and heat sensitivey, only when I bite it hurts and I don’t have money for a crown :( or a root canal.

I’m hoping it heals over time
 
Hi Thomaskevin2020,

Has it been the same since it was filled or is it getting any better/ worse? Does it happen every time you bite or only sometimes?

pain on biting after a filling can relate to a number of things including being heavy on certain movements of the bite, maybe clenching or grinding at night, sometimes it can just be settling in. Other times it may indicate that the tooth may be in the process of ‘dying off’ and needing a root canal or removal. BUT it sounds to me like it may relate to a crack.

Classically a crack in the tooth can cause a short, sharp pain that does not linger after biting something hard or chewy. Sometimes there can be sensitivity to temperature but not always. If it is a crack then one thing to be aware of is that they can be a bit unpredictable to treat. Covering what’s left of the tooth with an onlay/ partial crown may help but it can be costly and would still not guarantee it would sort the pain.

If it continues to be significantly uncomfortable for you or if it gets worse I’d get it checked out again but if it’s only occasionally and not too bad it may be worth monitoring it for now.

I should mention that if it is a crack it’s not fault of your dentists. We see cracks in teeth all the time and if we filled or crowned a tooth every time we saw a crack we’d be all have most of our teeth crowned! For this reason, unless a crack is very worrying in appearance, we are often guided by symptoms as to when we intervene or not.

If it is a crack, it will have been there before the filling but it’s only with the recent change in environment/ healing process associated with the loss and replacement of the filling that the discomfort can arise.

Does that all make sense ok?

Regardless of the exact cause, if you think you clench or grind your teeth at night I’d certainly look into a guard as it may help it settle and keep things simpler for you.
 
Thank you for the awesome reply!

i can’t 100% say if it’s been better after it’s been filled because I only feel sharp pain when I bite on that tooth but it goes away instantly after I let go of pressure on it and I never felt any sensitive from hot or colds ever (before I had it filled after I broke it the pain was horrible, I couldn’t even drink on it.. but after it filled I was able to drink again on that tooth)

thankfully I’m not in any pain, it’s only when I Bite on anything remotely hard, I wonder if it’s cracked

I’m gonna go back to the dentist soon, it’s been a month now after it filled and it still hurts to bite, I’m just wondering “will it heal?” So I can bite again :( or will it need a crown and root canal, I’ll keep you guys updated
 
And a little more info on what happen to me..

I ate a bacon cheese burger nov 27 and felt a very sharp pain when I bite on it, nov 28 when i flossed a piece of my tooth came out which hurt to even drink. Nov 30 I had it filled and I was able to drink again but it’s dec 28 now and it hurts to bite/chew (but the pain goes away after I stop biting)

and here I am today wondering if it’s healing still or is there no hope for the tooth :(
 
Yeah, sounds like a crack to me. Probably worth getting an opinion from your dentist. There are options (including doing nothing else for now) and ultimately it’s your choice but I’d say appropriate management depends upon the condition of the tooth as well as how manageable the current discomfort is in your opinion. If you can work around it there’s an argument for just keeping an eye on it for now.
If you can’t keep going as things are, your dentist will discuss options and you can choose from them.
 
Do you think it’s possible for the sensitivity will go away after time? (Like it settles)
 
There’s a chance it might improve with time but I’d say it’s unlikely to fully disappear. Equally there’s a chance it might end up progressing or getting worse. Cracks are just notoriously unpredictable unfortunately. Sorry I can’t give you better news than that!
 
Thank you for all the help and information! I’m going to the dentist tomorrow actually, she’s gonna examine it and see what she thinks and recommends for right now (since I can’t do a crown or anything crazy right now)

ill keep you updated on what she says, and it’s upsetting to hear about a crack maybe getting worse or never healing but sadly there’s nothing I can really do atm,

I’ve heard rumors that it takes months for a filling after a crack to “settle in” but I know every mouth is different, all I can do is hope the doctor gives good news and says all I need is time
 
I had a sharp pain after a white filling in a tooth that persisted for months. The pain only occurred when I bit on something hard and went away immediately. I asked him to refill it and the pain is gone. Worth a shot, especially if he/she can’t see a crack. My dentist was convinced it was a crack but couldn’t see it and referred me to an endo but I didn’t go. I wanted to see if refilling it worked and it did, so you never know. Good luck!
 
*update*

I went to the dentist, she said everything looks ok, she did file it down a little again, she said she saw some high points. Then she said give it a couple of weeks.. if a month or two, but if the pain increases then let her know.

it’s not much I can do atm since I don’t have money for a crown or RCT but she did say she thinks it’s gonna be fine so all I can do is hope and pray it gets better in the next month or two

I have not eat anything yet to test it, I’m still scared but I’m sure the pain didn’t magically vanish yet or weaken but I’ll test it soon,

I wonder if anyone else had this problem?
 
Did this ever get better for you? I have a new crown now that hurts to bite on with hard foods. Dentist said no root canal necessary and bite looks fine.
 
Clearly the bite isn't fine, else it wouldn't hurt to bite on it, go back again :)
 
Right? ?. It’s almost like the whole tooth hurts — and it’s fine with softer foods. Just the hard.
I’ll call again. I feel silly as this will be the second time I’m going in for a bite check.
It is strange, though. It is an upper back molar. And from the front the tooth isnt touching the bottom tooth at all—slight slight gap. But maybe I’m hitting hard on the back? It only really hurts when I eat something harder.
 
It's either the bite is off or the filling hasn't bonded into the tooth properly (I'm assuming it's composite not amalgam?)
 
Right? ?. It’s almost like the whole tooth hurts — and it’s fine with softer foods. Just the hard.
I’ll call again. I feel silly as this will be the second time I’m going in for a bite check.
It is strange, though. It is an upper back molar. And from the front the tooth isnt touching the bottom tooth at all—slight slight gap. But maybe I’m hitting hard on the back? It only really hurts when I eat something harder.
Would love to know how you went? I have a metal band on back top molar as their must be a tiny crack some wherenot visable to eye.. im goingto try eat on it this weekend.. have not for 2 weeks .. if no pain i will be getting a crown placed in 2 months.. im so full of anxiety.. and hope the band works then the crown works to ????
 
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