Sensitivity after composite fillings

[jkb2108]

So to make a long story short, I haven't gone to the dentist in about 7 years, due to my fear of all the injections I have to get to become numb, and I finally went about 2 weeks ago. Had 4 small gum line cavities (molars 19, 29, 30, 31- I hope those are the right numbers!) my dentist said they went a tiny bit under the gum during the fillings. Honestly most of my appointment was spent getting my teeth actually numb, once he was drilling he was only on each individual tooth for less than a minute-about a minute and a half. I expected to be sore considering I got them all filled on the same day, could still feel part of the procedure, and the amount of injections I had to have in my lower jaw. All of this work was done almost 6 days ago, haven't had any sensitivity to heat and very minimal sensitivity to cold (I've had composite fillings before and the cold feels pretty normal for my teeth). I've had a couple bite pressure zings on 2 of my teeth, but that stopped after day 3 or 4. My main concern is that two nights ago I woke up early in the morning to throbbing pain, I couldn't pin point a tooth, but it was coming from my right side. I stood up, and within 45 seconds the entire pain was gone, and luckily I haven't felt that pain since. I definitely don't have a bite problem, due to the fact my fillings are on my gum line, and it would be pretty noticeable, and I've had a high bite on previous fillings so I know what it feels like.

I almost feel like I'm almost making my teeth feel worse then they are, like I could possibly be clenching my jaw in my sleep and making myself believe there is truly a problem. I've been reading a lot about reversible and irreversible pulpitis, does it sound like I have the symptoms of either?

I'm waiting until the end of the week to go back to my dentist, so any suggestions on what might be going on would be greatly appreciated!

 

[rob wain]

I almost feel like I'm almost making my teeth feel worse then they are, like I could possibly be clenching my jaw in my sleep and making myself believe there is truly a problem. I've been reading a lot about reversible and irreversible pulpitis, does it sound like I have the symptoms of either?

Hi - it doesn't sound like pulpitis and if it's a one off sensation then I wouldn't worry. It's not unusual to get a few strange sensations after fillings and these generally settle with no lon term problems.
fingers crossed, all will be well

 

[jkb2108]

Rob,

Thanks for responding! I've noticed that when I'm sleeping flat (I usually only sleep with one pillow) I've been getting the throbbing sensation, and it's only happened two times now. I also have some soreness when eating anything like chips on my right side. It's definitely not the zinging pain like I mentioned in my original post, but the sore type of pain is getting a bit irritating. It's been over a week since I've had my fillings, and Advil does help control the discomfort, but should I start to feel the right side calm down soon? I've chalked it up to the fact that my right side had to get 3 fillings, and my left only had 1, so I've been telling myself the nerves/teeth need some time to adjust. Would you recommend I call my dentist tomorrow?