Pain after filling

[nicnac]

Hi all. I have a long history of dental procedures, unfortunately alot of them are starting to need to be re-done, so I've started the (extremely anxiety filled) journey to get things rectified.

I had developed tooth sensitivity to cold (and a little bit to hot) in an upper molar. This last week it started to ache, not badly, but sporadically and on Thursday it was enough for me to very much notice the ache while at work. So off i went to the dentist on Friday. He did an xray and examination (the cold spray test sent me through the roof) and said to me there was an old filling, quite large on the tooth, and also some decay. This decay had gone quite close to the nerve. He said that he can redo the filling with a more "tooth friendly material" (what does this mean?)...but then he told me that i will experience a dull ache that could take up to a couple of months to subside - and that it may need a root canal down the track. I went ahead with his suggestion of replacing the filling and fixing up the decay close to the nerve. Now it's sunday, 1AM in Australia, i have to work today and I've been woken up with a toothache coming from that tooth which I've had to take pain killers for. I've been experiencing spontaneous aching, some stronger than other since getting the filling done. Has the nerve been aggravated by the filling being close to the nerve, and will it *maybe* eventually settle like he says? I worry I've wasted my money on the filling when perhaps i should have got a root canal? The tooth is still very sensitive too and I'm a little stressed I'm going to have to put up with aching and sensitivity for a few months just to test if it goes away as he suggested it might! Any advice on what my dentist told me would be much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Gordon]

Has the nerve been aggravated by the filling being close to the nerve, and will it *maybe* eventually settle like he says

Yes and yes. I would expect the settling down to take just a couple of days though.

 

[NETWizz]

For me it takes a couple of weeks to settle when it is as bad as you describe, so don’t be discouraged. It should feel better when for some time nothing cold touches it. If it comes in contact with cold and you about hit the roof that’s normal.

A sensitivity toothpaste helped me a bit, so you might try one.


Warm (but not hot) should feel good... at least it did for me. That is to say cold sensitivity is not necessary indicative of a problem immediately after a procedure. Hot sensitivity may have a worse prognosis.

Generally the pain shouldn’t keep you up, but if it is controlled with over the counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen (you probably call it paracetamol) in my experience it always settled down.