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Sensitive Teeth After Filling: Causes & Remedies Of It

sensitive teeth after filling

I had a tooth filling a few weeks ago and since then, the tooth has become so sensitive that I can’t take anything hot, cold or sweet. I feel that the dental procedure could be the cause of this pain.

Could I be right?

If yes, what could be the best possible remedies for this problem? How do you control and tackle sensitive teeth after filling?

As I write this article right now, my inbox is full of questions similar to the one above. This makes me believe that there are many folks out there encountering this issue. I, therefore, decided to put up this post where you can learn the possible causes of teeth sensitivity after a filling. Plus I’ve provided you with a few effective remedies that will help you do away with this pain…

Don’t have time to read the full article? Here’s some quick solution for you:

Reasons Why You Have Sensitive Teeth after Filling

Incorrect Bite

incorrect bite causes sensitive teeth

One of the common causes of tooth sensitivity associated with filling is an incorrect bite. This means that the filling appears higher than the original tooth or some of its cusps aren’t properly shaped.

When you bite with such a filling, the biting force will not be excreted evenly among all your teeth. Instead, most of it goes to the filled tooth or one of its uneven cusps. This excess force will, therefore, subject you to tooth pain when chewing.

Poor Bonding of the Dental Filling

Dental filling causes teeth sensitivity

Bonding failure occurs when your dentist fails to properly etch or dry the tooth to be filled. Also, if your tooth comes into contact with water or saliva, chances of failed bonding increase. Failure to bond means that your tooth tissue will not connect well with the fillings and there will be gaps.

And these gaps will lead you to pain. No matter how narrow they may be, they will provide a path for external stimuli to reach the tooth pulp and cause sensitivity. More worse, poor bonding raises the risk of tooth decay and gives the bacteria an easy way to reach the pulp and infect it.

Allergic Reaction

Yes, Allergic reaction to the silver fillings… This is a rare condition but when it occurs, it will make you suffer some tooth pain as well. First, let’s explain what it entails: Allergic reaction occurs when the patients become allergic to silver.

In such cases, an allergic response will be triggered and you’ll notice some symptoms similar to skin allergy, e.g. itching and rashes. When faced with such a problem, it’s important to visit your dentist so that he can use a different restoration material.

Galvanic Shock

Also known as galvanism effect… This is a condition notorious for teeth sensitivity after a filling procedure. It occurs when two metals in your mouth come into contact. For example, you have an existing silver or gold crown on your upper tooth.

Then you undergo an Amalgam filling on your bottom tooth.

When the two metals come into contact, they’ll yield an electrical charge that results to sensitive teeth. The condition lasts for a very short time. But if prevails, it’s necessary to seek restorations using a different material.

Did you get receive appropriate treatment?

Undergoing a dental filling while it wasn’t the right treatment on your tooth could as well make you experience tooth sensitivity. If your tooth decay was too deep, you shouldn’t have gone for a dental filling. Rather, you should have considered root canal to permanently get rid of the decayed tooth. You dentist should tell you exactly what is happening and warn you about possible sensitive teeth after filling.

Referred Pain

Ever heard of referred pain? Right, this is a situation where you experience increased sensitivity on the teeth that were not filled. This means that the treated tooth is sending some pain signals to the rest of your teeth as well. Again, this kind of pain is known to die in a couple of weeks or so.

Remedies of Sensitive Teeth After Filling

As your dentist might have advised you, teeth sensitivity after a filling is normal and goes away after a few days or weeks. However, if you still experience the pain after weeks, you need to revisit your dentist.

But not so fast…

You first need to try out the following remedies for sensitive teeth after filling:

Use Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth

The market is packed with special kinds of toothpaste for sensitive teeth. These kinds of toothpaste contain desensitizing agents and if you use them to brush your teeth regularly, your symptoms might start to fade away.

Avoid Things That Irritate Your Tooth

Another cool remedy that even the professional dentist will advise you to do is avoiding what irritates your tooth. In other words, avoid sweet or extremely hot or cold foods for some time. If you keep consuming such foods/drinks, they’ll be stimulated your sensitive teeth and even result into a toothache.

Taking Soft Diet Can Help

Eating hard or sticky food isn’t recommended if you have got a newly filled tooth. If you take such foods, you’ll only be irritating the tooth or causing additional pressure which will result in tooth pain. It’s also good to avoid chewing on the filled tooth for a few days.

Pain Killers Too Can Help

You don’t always have to run for painkillers to treat any pain that arises in your body. That’s right. But you need it to reduce the pain coming from your tooth filling. Try them for the first few day to see if they’ll bring any major changes.

Have You Tried Some Home Remedies?

There are many tried and tested ways of treating a sensitive tooth that you can do from your kitchen. Remedies like rinsing your mouth with salt water, using clove oil to rinse, etc, will help reduce the sensitivity caused by a filling.

Observe Proper Oral Hygiene

It’s so easy to convince yourself that you don’t need to brush your teeth or observe other good oral hygiene practices after undergoing a filling. But this is completely wrong. Good oral health plays a big role in relieving the irritations resulting from periodontal tissues.

Final Verdict

Teeth sensitivity after a dental filling is normal. If you’re experiencing this problem right now, chances are high that one of the above causes we’ve just discussed is behind it. The right action to take is to try out any of the above given effective remedies. And in case they don’t work, the last resort is seeing your dentist for professional assistance.

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