If your tooth hurts after filling
So, why does a tooth hurt after filling? Any installation of a filling is an intervention in the tissue, so pain during and after treatment may well occur. On the other hand, one pain is a natural stage in the recovery of the body after treatment, and the other is a sign of incipient complications or injury. So when should you sound the alarm? Experts distinguish different types of toothache: according to duration, nature of manifestation and correlation with various types of manipulations.
Classic filling
The conventional filling procedure does not imply penetration into the tooth pulp and depulpation of the root canals. This manipulation is much simpler compared to endodontic intervention, however, not everything is so obvious here. First, conventional therapeutic procedures are performed more frequently. Secondly, the quality of materials and the level of specialists in Russia are often low, so severe pain after filling a tooth and other complications are by no means uncommon even with the simplest manipulations. Below is a table that describes the most common causes of complications and pain after filling.
| Type of complication | Description | Pain symptoms |
| Mechanical trauma to the pulp during filling (pulp perforation) | It occurs when the bur is used roughly and carelessly, when the partition between the pulp and dentin is destroyed. Modern dentistry offers conservative ways to eliminate such complications, but often only a depulpation procedure can help. | With this problem, the tooth “pulsates” after filling and reacts sharply to cold and hot. The pain is severe and practically does not subside. |
| Burn of dentin or pulp (tooth overheating) | Usually occurs when the cooling system of the drill malfunctions, when the tooth tissue gets burned during the operation of the drill. In the most severe cases, the patient develops pulpitis and periodontitis. | If your tooth ache after filling and the pain does not go away for a long time, it is quite possible that you have a dentin burn. If, after filling, the tooth reacts sharply to hot and cold or there is throbbing pain, then most likely the pulp was affected. |
| Incorrectly installed seal | Overbite and overhanging filling edges are among the most common causes of pain. Incorrect closure of the dentition provokes very unpleasant sensations. | Does your tooth hurt when you bite it after filling? Perhaps the problem is an incorrectly installed seal. If the cause is not eliminated in time, the tooth reacts painfully even with gentle pressure. |
| Error when choosing material | There are more than a dozen filling materials on the market, many of which are not suitable for everyone due to their properties and components. | Acrylic composite and silicate cement fillings can cause allergies and inflammation. Amalgams and some light fillings can shrink, which is why the tooth hurts quite noticeably when bitten after filling. |
| Gum injuries | Damage to soft tissue is a very common occurrence during therapeutic manipulations (especially in the treatment of cervical caries). Serious injuries may require gum grafting. | Aching or cutting pain at the site of gum damage. |
If your tooth hurts after root canal filling
Unlike classic filling, root canal treatment is a procedure that essentially kills the tooth and its tissues. Of course, after such manipulations, pain in the first few days is quite common (this is related to the question of whether a tooth should hurt after root canal filling). However, if a tooth hurts a week after filling, then this is a good enough reason to start worrying. Pain after root canal filling can be caused by a number of reasons, but in any case you should not think that everything will go away on its own. Negligence in relation to one's own health can lead to periodontitis, damage to bone tissue and even death caused by infection of the body. So, in popular parlance, when your nerve hurts after filling a tooth, you have serious cause for concern.
What to do?
First of all, of course, you need to look for the true cause of bad breath, and this is best done together with your dentist. He will not only find the cause of the problem, but will also help eliminate it: treat sore teeth or gums, remove plaque, adjust an unsuitable prosthesis. It also happens that the dentist does not find any problems in the oral cavity, but there is still an unpleasant odor. In this case, it is necessary to check with a gastroenterologist; perhaps there are hidden diseases of the digestive system (for example, gastritis often gives a strong bad breath, especially on an empty stomach).
Dentist at the 32 Dent clinic, Marina Stepanovna Yakovleva, reminds that regular preventive examinations at the dentist (at least once every six months) will help prevent many problems with teeth and gums, including the problem of bad breath. In addition, it is highly advisable to regularly have your teeth professionally cleaned to remove tartar and soft plaque - this will help to cope with the odor and prevent tooth decay, as well as gum inflammation.
Why does a tooth hurt after root canal filling?
| Type of complication | Description | Pain symptoms |
| Root perforation | As a rule, this happens when installing a pin into root canals, when its tip breaks through the root walls and rests on the bone tissue. The patient requires quite complex rehabilitation, otherwise there is a high probability of developing an infection. | Severe aching pain that can extend beyond the tooth. |
| Underfilling | A cavity remains in the root canals, which is not filled with filling material. This can lead to inflammation and abscesses. | A slight aching pain in the early stages and a strong (sometimes throbbing) pain as complications develop. Often after filling a tooth, the gums hurt. |
| Resealing | The material is planted too deep beyond the root tip. If its amount is insignificant, then over time it can resolve on its own. In more serious situations, resection of the root apex is required. | Prolonged aching pain up to neuralgia. |
| Fragments of tools in channels | A common medical mistake is when a piece of instrument remains inside the root canals. | From aching to sharp piercing pain when biting. If, after canal filling, it hurts to press on a tooth, this may also be one of the characteristic signs. |
When, after removing the nerve and filling, the tooth hurts during the first two to three days and the pain is pronounced, tell your dentist about it. In some cases, a quick response to the problem will help avoid serious complications.
Causes of bad breath
The most common cause of bad breath is dental or gum disease. Untreated caries, in which the tooth simply “rots” in the mouth, leads to the appearance of a persistent “aroma” of rot. When you don’t go to the dentist for too long and a dental cyst has already formed from banal caries, the smell from your mouth becomes especially noticeable. To eliminate the smell in this case, you need to regularly treat your teeth, as well as treat your gums, since inflammatory processes in the gum tissue can also provoke the appearance of an unpleasant odor.
But there are other reasons why breath loses freshness and makes a person constantly ashamed of himself:
- Tooth extraction. Bad breath after tooth extraction is a physiological phenomenon; it always occurs, but with proper oral care and good hygiene, it disappears on its own along with the healing of the wound.
- Infectious diseases of the oral cavity. For example, with candidal stomatitis, bad breath is one of the symptoms of the disease - just like with other types of stomatitis, as well as with infectious gingivitis.
- Xerostomia, or dysfunction of the salivary glands. In this case, saliva is not produced or is produced in very small quantities, and therefore the normal acid-base balance in the oral cavity is disrupted and pathogenic bacteria begin to actively multiply.
- Soft and hard dental deposits. Plaque on teeth mostly consists of microorganisms and tiny particles of organic matter (food debris), which is why it gives off an unpleasant odor. If tartar has formed on the dental surfaces, the smell will definitely be felt. Only professional cleaning by a dentist can help here.
- Unsuccessful prosthetics. Sometimes people after prosthetics complain: they have metal-ceramics in place and there is a bad breath from their mouth, although there was none before. This usually happens if the crown is made poorly and does not fit tightly - then food particles get clogged under it and, gradually decomposing, create an unpleasant odor.
Tooth pain after filling in questions and answers
Question: Can a tooth hurt after filling?
Answer:
Yes, especially after depulpation. This is not always a sign of complications, but it is worth seeing a doctor.
Question: What to do after filling a tooth?
Answer:
Follow the doctor’s recommendations and do not subject the treated tooth to heavy loads in the first days.
Question: How long does a tooth hurt after filling (classic)?
Answer:
If your tooth hurts severely for more than a day or two after getting a filling, tell your dentist as soon as possible.
Question: How long does a tooth hurt after root canal filling?
Answer:
In the absence of complications, a period of one to three days is considered normal (excluding severe throbbing pain). If your tooth hurts a week after filling (even if the pain is not too severe), be sure to consult a doctor.
Question: Is it normal to have tooth sensitivity after filling?
Answer:
After therapeutic manipulations, the sensitivity of the tooth may increase, but if after filling the tooth reacts to cold and hot with excessive pain, consult a doctor.
Question: How much can you not eat after filling a tooth with a light filling?
Answer:
It is not recommended to eat food within 1–2 hours.
Question: Why does a tooth hurt after filling when pressed?
Answer:
If there are complications in the form of inflammation and damage to tooth tissue, any mechanical impact will not cause the most pleasant sensations.
Question: What should I do if the tooth is swollen after filling?
What to pay attention to
If any problems arise, you should contact your dentist as soon as possible. We recommend coming for a consultation as soon as you notice:
- The appearance of an unpleasant putrid odor.
- It feels like something is stuck under the crown.
- Change in gum color, swelling, swelling, pain.
- The appearance of blood while brushing your teeth.
- Darkening of the abutment tooth.
When a tooth is prepared for a crown, the nerve endings are removed. Therefore, secondary caries passes painlessly. It can only be noticed by indirect signs. But these symptoms indicate that some pathological process is developing in the oral cavity. You should see a doctor immediately. Delaying a visit to the clinic will cause the inflammatory process to develop quickly.
Untreated inflammation under the crown is one of the most common causes of loss of an abutment tooth. A heavily damaged support unit cannot always be preserved. Most likely it will have to be removed and then re-prosthetics done.
