After you receive a dental filling from one of our dentists, you can feel confident that our dentists have addressed the tooth decay and you are well on your way to recovery. However, directly after you have received the filling, there may be a certain amount of residual pain.
Pain From Dental Fillings Should Be Short-Term
If you do experience pain after you have had a dental filling, you don’t need to worry. This discomfort is a common occurrence and generally does not signal that anything is wrong with the filling our dentists placed.
For most people, any dental pain from their filling goes away over the course of a few days up to a couple of weeks. If you have any concerns, you are welcome to make another appointment with our dentists at Castle Rock Dental.
Potential Causes Of Dental Pain Post-Filling
There can be several potential causes that have triggered you to feel pain around your dental filling.
- Altered bite – A filling can change how you bite down. Often, the difference will be quickly forgotten, but if you find it uncomfortable, you can come in and have one of our dentists shape your filling.
- Referred pain – The nerves in your teeth are all tightly interwoven, and while your tooth with the filling may not feel pain, your surrounding teeth may experience pain. This discomfort should go away with time.
- Pulpitis – The process of removing tooth decay can cause the pulp of your tooth to become inflamed and potentially infected if not all the decayed tooth tissue is removed before the filling is placed. Sometimes, all you need is time for this issue to go away. If you notice your gum swelling, it is best to come into our dental clinic to ensure you don’t need a root canal.
- Varying material – If you have varying dental materials in your mouth such as a gold crown and a silver filling, you may experience an uncomfortable sensation when these materials make contact.
- Allergic reaction – While rare, some people experience allergic reactions to their dental filling. If there is itching or a rash appears, our dentists can redo the filling with a different material.
Ways To Alleviate Dental Filling Discomfort
You don’t have to just suffer through discomfort caused by your dental filling. Some of the things you can do to alleviate the pain are:
- Be extra-gentle as you brush and floss
- Avoid cold or hot foods for a few days to a week
- Skip any acidic foods and drinks
- Take anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen
- Chew food opposite of your filling
Whether you are looking to have a simple filling placed or cosmetic dentistry performed, you can come to our dentists at Castle Rock Dental in Billings, MT. For an appointment with our excellent dentists, contact us today.