Something gritty in mouth and on tooth with new filling

[Anne2023]

I just had a composite filling last Wednesday. It was a deep filling on tooth #27. The dentist asked me to feel with my tongue when she was sanding and smoothing it. I didn't notice anything at the time. Now this morning - five days out - it felt like something very small, but gritty was loose in my mouth. I didn't end up being able to isolate and look at it before I lost it, but I was concerned it was a broken piece of filling or tooth, so I started checking things out with my tongue. When my tongue tooth #27, I could feel something gritty on my tooth surface. I checked it in the mirror and a little with my finger and it is definitely there and appears to be on the border line of the filling.

Is this a bad sign for the success of the filling? Is it normal that a little piece of composite or some other material didn't get sanded off? Do I need to hurry back in to the dentist to get it looked at or risk harm to the tooth?

 

[Gordon]

Is this a bad sign for the success of the filling?

No.

Is it normal that a little piece of composite or some other material didn't get sanded off?

Yes, it can be hard to distinguish between composite and tooth when you're finishing them.

Do I need to hurry back in to the dentist to get it looked at or risk harm to the tooth?

Only if it's really annoying you. It'll probably smooth itself down a bit after a while.

 

[Anne2023]

@Gordon Thank you so much for your answers. Mostly, I was just afraid the tooth or filling was somehow compromised. It's only an issue psychologically because it's on the facial side of the tooth so my tongue doesn't touch it unless I'm deliberately checking it.

 

[Gordon]

Good. Just give it a bit of time then and it should smooth down a bit.