Why do my new fillings (replacements) STILL hurt?

In December (2006) I had 5 old silver/amalgam fillings replaced and 1 new cavity filled. That's 6 teeth all close together, 3 on top, 3 on bottom. It hurt to chew even soft foods after 2 weeks, so I went back in. She adjusted my bite and it felt better, but not back to normal. After 2 months it still hurt, so she adjusted it again, and better still but still not normal. Then a few days ago (it's now May 2007) I ate something hot and it HURT for two full days. It ached constantly, both top and bottom, in that general region, for a full 2 days.





Do I need a root canal? Did she mess the teeth up? My old fillings never gave me any problems, and even the cavity didn't hurt. I've never had pain after a filling (replacement or otherwise) until now.





In a nut shell: no pain before procedures, lots of pain after procedures. Is there a chance she didn't fully cure the composite, or left gaps, or drilled to deep, or something?





Any info would be helpful. Thanks!

Why do my new fillings (replacements) STILL hurt?
Most all teeth go through some slight pulpitis after being worked on but usually settle down with in a reasonable amount of time.





Although if a restoration is high and left unadjusted for too long, the excessive force from biting on it can actually cause the nerve to die.





I don't know how deep or old these restorations were, or the reasons they were replaced, so there could be many other reasons you are experiencing pain. What I'm stressing here is that this pain could be the occlusion problem, or something completely different.





When a patient experiences pain this long we always follow up with an x ray to make sure it's not an abscess forming. Some dentist will do a pulp vitality test. In most cases we remove the composite restoration and place a sedative filling material which helps soothe the nerve and speed the recovery. This is usually accompanied by a round of antibiotics as a precautionary measure. If the tooth settles down "completely" after a few months, then a new restoration is placed.





It may be that the nerve has been traumatized too long from hitting heavy on it (or other reasons) and is unable to heal no matter what is done now and will need a root canal therapy in order to save it. Only your dentist will be able to decide this with an exam.





In any case it's not something that the dentist did or didn't do, so do let her evaluate this situation for further treatment. After this much time I doubt that another adjustment will do any good, so you may want to ask her opinion about placing a temporary sedative filling. Hope I've been of some help and good luck.
Reply:idk mine never hurt when ever iam done
Reply:If your amalgams weren't giving you problems, you should never have gotten them replaced: this is a cash grab for dentists.





It is possible that after the fillings were put in, microleakage occured, and recurrent decay formed marginally around your new fillings (bacteria found a place in your composite resins and went underneath forming new cavities underneath).





If this is the case, your dentist will have to remove your new filling, remove the bacteria and even more of your natural tooth (this is now the third time your natural tooth has been drilled away!) and place a new filling.





IF A DENTIST TELLS YOU THAT YOU HAVE TO GET YOUR AMALGAMS REPLACED WITH COMPOSITE RESINS, ASK TO SEE YOUR X-RAYS SHOWING RECCURENT DECAY! IF YOUR TEETH AREN'T BOTHING YOU, LEAVE YOUR AMALGAMS IN YOUR MOUTH!!!!





The worst possible scenarios are:


- you may need to have a root canal, or


- extraction.





The main thing is, go see your dentist, or get a second opinion if you don't trust your dentists judgement.





Hope this helps!
Reply:several reasons why they still may hurt. most "fresh" composite/white restorations take some time to "settle".altho white fillings are much nicer to look at-nothing compares to the durability/longevity of amalgam/silver ones. one or more may have been just close enough to the nerve to inflame it- if the decay reaches the pulp chamber but does not enter it its best to see if a filling will be fine before jumping into a root canal. if you feel like your teeth are not touching on the side opposite of your new fillings then you need to go back and have the bite adjusted some more. if they feel like they are hurting less and less each week-chances are your pain will go away--if they continue to thump like a heartbeat is in them you may possibly need root canal therapy.but try to pinpoint which tooth seems to hurt the first and most often that will help pinpoint the problem tooth-it is usually just one that is the culprit