Pain in tooth after filling replacement

dubdev

Hi all,

I got an amalgam filling replaced with a composite one a week and a half ago and since then I have been experiencing sensitivity to temperature and an intermittent mild toothache which radiates into my jaw.

I went back the my dentist last weekend and he said the bite on the filling might have been high so he filed it down a bit and said to give it another week or two, but I'm still getting the toothache. I also noticed that a gland in my lower jaw is slightly swollen and sore to touch which makes me worried it might be an infection.

I'm really annoyed as I had no problems with the filling he replaced and Googling the symptoms seems to suggest it may be pulpitis, requiring a root canal which could cost nearly €600. I'm considering giving it another week and then going to a different dentist for a second opinion but then maybe it's better to go back to the guy who did it.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Dianthus

Did you have an x-ray taken of the tooth beforehand? If not, it's worth getting an x-ray now.
Was the old filling a very deep filling? Sometimes replacing these can be the final straw for the nerve; doesn't matter what dentist does it.
Was the filling replaced for functional reasons (gap/break/decay/other) or solely cosmetic reasons?
Definitely return to the dentist for review if you feel your symptoms aren't improving.

Tigger

its root canal time

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Tigger wrote: »

its root canal time

Maybe maybe not....the bite is the most common cause of a sore or senstive new filling. OP get your dentist to check out the bite etc and give it some time. If the pain persists maybe you need a root canal.

dubdev

Micah Strong Tray wrote: »

Maybe maybe not....the bite is the most common cause of a sore or senstive new filling. OP get your dentist to check out the bite etc and give it some time. If the pain persists maybe you need a root canal.

Woke up with a persistent ache in the left side of my face and noticed a swollen gland / node under my jaw so I went to a different dentist today and she had a good look. She didn't see any evidence of anything which needed a root canal but she did prescribe me amoxicillin antibiotics. Oddly enough , the pain has dramatically improved since I started taking them at lunchtime . Maybe it's a coincidence but I'm wondering if there was a low level infection which was irritating the pulp and is now being dealt with.

dubdev

An update on this. I had to go back to my original dentist who replaced the composite filling with an amalgam one two weeks ago. He was surprised by the amount of pain I had experienced as he felt it was a relatively straightforward filling but unfortunately I'm still getting pain. It has lessened in intensity but it's still very sensitive to hot and cold, so I'm wondering if I should give it more time or go back. I'm assuming that the next course of action is a root canal.

dubdev

So the second replacement filling didn't fix the pain and I ended up getting a root canal today. The dentist said it was probably due to a small crack in the tooth but im more inclined to think that the first replacement filling disturbed the nerve in the tooth and created a problem that wasn't there before.

The RCT actually didn't really hurt at all to be honest during the procedure though I imagine I'll be sure tomorrow and Saturday.

Very annoyed though that I ended up spending nearly €750 in total given that I only went in for two fillings. I think a change of dentist might be in order..

btkm8unsl0w5r4

dubdev wrote: »

im more inclined to think that the first replacement filling disturbed the nerve in the tooth and created a problem that wasn't there before.

Why was the filling replaced in the first place?