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Temperature sensitivity after filling

N

NAMI

Junior member
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
18
Location
Lincolnshire
Hello!

I had a filling last Thursday (6 days ago) upper molar at the very back.

Anyway, since about Sunday I've noticed it's very sensitive to cold and heat. A cup of tea, porridge or a cold glass of water triggers pain that lingers for about 30 mins to an hour.
No pressure pain and doesn't hurt to push on.

Should I be heading back for an x Ray or giving it time after the filling? We on holiday on Monday so I am feeling anxious.

We recently moved to the near Highlands and I have a new dentist so I'm nervous to ring and be a problem patient if I just need to wait a longer.

Thanks
Ami
 
What kind of filling was it? White composite or silver amalgam. Whereabouts in the Highlands are you?
 
Thanks for getting back to me Gordon, It's silver amalgam. We live in Lossie x
 
If it's amalgam then give it a bit of time. One weird trick that can occasionally help is to eat a runny egg, cooked anyway you want, the sulphate in the egg yolk reacts with the surface of the amalgam which causes it to expand microscopically and this can seal it up a bit better!
 
I don't know any dentists in that area, sorry!
 
Thank you for getting back to me Gordon. I get myself in such a state about these things and then I don't articulate myself at all in the dentist and just end up a mess so I really appreciate the time you take to reply to me.
I went in this morning and they did an x Ray, said 'it's not too bad' did a tap and sent me on my way with wait and see. They did do a fluoride coat so maybe I just take pain killers and try and get through.
They weren't too forthcoming in advice, opinion etc but I suppose that's NHS dentristy for you, I am grateful to have even gotten one.

I did try to ask her about the fact when her mirror touched it, it kind of zapped - is that normal? It felt so weird.

I'll give it time and try not to Google.
Thank you again.
I remember now from when I posted previously that you live up here. We moved about two months ago and wow, it's breathtaking.
x
 
Fluoride coat will help a bit, was it the juicy fruit flavoured stuff? Really sticky?

Yes, we moved near Glen Coe 11 years ago, I still love standing out in my garden just looking at the scenery.
 
Sorry to only just get to this, yes, sticky stuff.
Not convinced it has done much tbh as still feeling lingering discomfort after warm stuff but taking my painkillers and waiting it out. She said it wasn't close to the nerve etc I'm really hoping it just gets better, she said it could take 2-4 weeks so to stop poking and hitting it and let it rest. I have diagnosed health anxiety and a very weird thing I know is wrong but can't help if I try and 'check' things myself so in this case it's tapping the tooth, pushing up on it etc. Sometimes my brain is a weird place to be!

Glen Coe is just stunning! We live a 5 min walk from Lossi beach now and every day I take the dogs and have that moment of wow, this is my home so I know what you mean about the view. We were up in the Cairmgorns yesterday and that was something else x
 
I take my 2 dogs to our little beach on Loch Linnhe at least twice a day. It's wonderful.

Anyway, amalgams can take a few weeks to settle down, the material takes ages to fully "set" and can shrink and expand very, very slightly as it does so.
 
Thanks Gordon, so no need to worry yet about this hot heat sensitivity? You really are wonderful and I do appreciate you taking your time to always respond. You've helped me a few times now and I am forever grateful for you x

Enjoy the beach today, we've just got back, it's a cold one but dry here x
 
No, not yet, assuming the pain doesn't linger for ages after it starts up?
Dentistry was very good to me, I look on this as a chance to pay something back.

Beach was fun today, cool and damp but not actually raining :)
 
Hey Gordon.

Sorry I didn't get to this, we are holiday in Yorkshire and no WiFi, just in a restaurant so thought I'd check in.
The pain doesn't linger really but I am taking pain medication three times a day.
I tried to call 111 today as I'm super worried it is turning into an infection and they said as it doesn't hurt more to tap or to push on that it's not urgent.
It had just occurred to me that I hadn't mentioned to you, I had my first ever scale and polish on the same day. The dental used a hand scaler and not a machine as I have sensitive teeth. Do you think it could be as simple as this as to why I'm having unusual toothache, it's like an uncomfortable feeling, sensitive to heat and cold, occasional zapping pain in a tooth that wasn't filled and has no cavities etc.
I can chew on that side too.

I'm supposed to speak at my brothers wedding at the weekend and I'm a total mess thinking I'll have an access by then and ruin everything. A dentist local to where we are on holiday has offered to see me privately but tbh, it's a lot of money that we don't really have and with no 'obvious' signs of infection or excruciating pain, I'm not convinced they'll be able to do anything anyway.

Sorry for the long reply, as usual, I've worked myself into a right state and now I'm 600 miles away from my dentist!
Nightmare!
 
That's OK, I was in Aberdeen on grandad duties so wouldn't have seen a reply earlier :)
Maybe they've managed to scrape off a bit of the cementum at the root margin... quick dental anatomy course for you...

Crown of the tooth is 3 layers, inside to out, pulp (nerve), dentine then enamel
Root of the tooth is also 3 layers, pulp, dentine then cementum

Where the root and the crown meet is usually a butt joint, the enamel butts up against the cementum. Sometimes there is a slight overlap, sometimes a slight gap. If you had an overlap then (on a very microscopic scale) this could be accidentally removed during the scaling. The gap that's left would reveal some dentine which has little fibres running through it from the pulp to the outer layer of dentine.
These fibres when stimulated send a pain signal. They're pretty dumb, even if the stimulus is hot/cold/sweet whatever they only fire as "pain"...

That's great Gordon but how do I fix this... usually by sealing over the little gap, fluoride varnish usually helps, by initially sealing things over and encouraging the little fibres to retreat back a bit and seal themselves off in their wee tunnels. Sensodyne type pastes deposit ions into the holes to do a similar job... other stuff is available.
 
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