Tuesday 17 May 2011

Sore Tooth After Filling

A filling is needed in those cases where the tooth has been infected or damaged due to decay and a prominent dental cavity has appeared. Ideally speaking a tooth with has been recently filled, will remain slightly sensitive for about 8 weeks. It is normal to feel tingling, and sensitivity on the tooth as well as some pain. However, not all people complain of such discomfort. But on the other hand there are many who suffer from persistent toothaches even after getting their decay removed. This condition makes it almost impossible to eat any solid and crunch foods such as crisps, chips or even red meat. To add on to the trouble is the fact that, many suffer from headaches caused by their toothache, which oftentimes causes the whole face to hurt, including the jaw and the neck. This article will discuss the probable reasons for sore tooth after filling.

Causes of Sore Tooth After Deep Filling

Protruding Filling
A filling is an artificial entity in your mouth, which is why the tooth will take its time to accept it completely. Also many a time it so happens that the filling is not properly fitted or is raised and is slightly higher than the tooth's original shape. This interferes with our normal chewing and biting action, because more pressure is being applied on the affected tooth. The reason being that the affected tooth will have the molars on the upper or the lower jaw pressing down upon the filling, when they come in direct contact with each other. If this is the case you'll need to check with the dentist, who will then grind the filling until it has receded slightly. After which, you must check, that your tooth does not hurt as much as it did before, when you clamp your jaws together.

Degenerated Tooth Pulp
The insides of the tooth, also known as the pulp gets inflamed because of tooth decay or infection. When the decay has been removed, this pulp usually heals . However sometimes the pulp continues to degenerate and gets infected, even though the original decay no longer exists. This is one of the most common causes of toothache after filling and occurs very often. This happens because the infection is still present and seeps down further into the tooth. Which is why it is causing damage to the pulp as well as other parts of the tooth. This infection may manifest itself after the filling procedure has already been completed. In this case, the dentist will need to remove the filling and try and heal the inflamed pulp.

Tooth Abscess
This is the second stage of the inflamed pulp, which seeps further down into the tooth and infects the pulp tissues. This causes abscess or pus to collect at the tissue endings or roots of the tooth. This condition causes severe pain in the jaw bone and the gums which hold the infected tooth. There are only two ways of treating an abscessed tooth, which is either through root canal treatment or through a direct extraction of the diseased tooth.

Fractured Tooth
Tooth infection if not treated on time can cause the tooth to weaken. Which is why even after a filling has been done, a hairline fracture may occur from the bottom corner of the filling. This fracture will cause pain when exposed to hot or cold temperatures of the food you consume as well as when you bite. Every time you apply pressure on the fractured tooth, the nerves will get irked and cause pain. Request your dentist to check for a possible fracture, which if diagnosed will need a root canal treatment or eventual extraction.

If after a thorough checkup, your tooth seems normal, the soreness will subside eventually. For some respite you may use clove oil as it helps numb the pain. You must remember to follow proper dental hygiene after the filling, which is why you must brush and floss everyday. Steer clear of extremely hot or cold food and beverages as these will affect the already sensitive nerves of the filled tooth. And finally remember to gargle after every meal and before sleeping, so as to keep the food from getting stuck near the filling. Now that you know what causes a sore tooth after filling you will be better prepared to seek effective and speedy treatment, if the pain doesn't subside.

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