When you bite down on the marking paper after a filling, should you only bite directly down?

[Annie364]

I've just had a filling plus nerve block numbing injection. When the dentist tells you to bite down on that piece of paper to check if the bite is OK, are you supposed to only bite down directly vertically? Or are you supposed to move your teeth slightly front-back left-right as if you are chewing?

I'm a bit confused now because my dentist said to 'mash down', but I only bit down very carefully vertically into one place (the natural place), rather than mashing them around and moving them with a clenched jaw on the paper.

I'm feeling the bite on the tooth but I'm not sure if it's because of the numbing injection (it hasn't worn off yet), or whether we didn't adjust the bite properly because I didn't mash my teeth around in all directions enough on the paper?

 

[Gordon]

You do wonder why dentists make extra work for themselves at times A few seconds giving some clear instructions would have saved so much bother!

You should move the teeth as if you were chewing, forward, back, side to side, any which way you can manage...

Wait till the numbness wears off, if it still feels high give them a call back.

 

[Annie364]

Thank you Gordon.

I was hoping that the injection had caused temporary swelling that made the filling feel odd.

 

[Gordon]

Nope.