Deep Fillings Get on Your Nerves: Why Deep Dental Fillings Cause Tooth Sensitivity

Dentist Blog

Badly decayed teeth can either be crowned or filled with a large dental filling. If the nerve of a tooth is still intact and a patient chooses to go with a dental filling, the deeper the filling, the more likely that it will causes the tooth to become sensitive. Sensitivity due to dental fillings occurs for several reasons.

If you have recently had a dental filling and are now experiencing sensitivity in the same tooth, you need to work out why it is happening so you can seek the appropriate treatment.

You May Have a High Bite

At the time of your dental filling, your tooth will be numbed. This makes it difficult for you to accurately assess the filling in terms of how it feels when you place your teeth together. Later, once the numbness wears off, you may begin to notice that the tooth hurts when you bite down on it. This is likely due to the filling being slightly too high, causing the opposing tooth to push against the filling, which in turn irritates the nerve within the tooth.

When you bite down, it may also feel like there is something getting in the way, causing your bite to feel unnatural. A dentist can easily correct this issue by reducing the filling so that it doesn't interfere with your bite.

The Filling May Have Irritated the Nerve

Deep fillings often irritate the nerve housed in the centre of a tooth. The drilling, which is necessary to remove the decayed parts of the tooth, may traumatize the nerve due to the vibration. The nerve will also have less insulation than before due to the loss of enamel and dentin and so, at least for a while, temperature and pressure sensations will be felt more strongly than usual.

Wait a day or two. If the nerve seems to be recovering, then it may well recover. Otherwise, see a dentist.

The Nerve May Be Dying

When a part of your body is traumatized, more blood is sent to the location to induce healing. This leads to swelling. Since teeth are sealed and unable to expand once blood fills them, what sometimes happens is that a tooth could suffocate due to the influx of blood. There is nowhere for the blood to flow and so it fills the tooth, cutting off the blood and oxygen supply.

Teeth can recover from this but they often die as a result, or at least the nerve dies. If this happens, you will feel more and more sensitivity with each passing day. Eventually the nerve will die and the pain will subside, however, at that point you will have a tooth full of dead tissue. This calls for a root canal to remove the dying or dead nerve so that infection cannot set in.

If your tooth sensitive after a filling, wait a day or two and assess the sensitivity level. If the sensitivity worsens, see the dentist right away so they can save the tooth. 

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16 November 2017

Dental Emergencies and Kids

As a mother, I've seen my kids' faces light up after they've lost a tooth – oh, the excitement they feel about getting their grown up teeth! However, I've also seen my kids become extremely scared and anxious after having an adult tooth knocked out. If you're a mom or a dad with a busy kid, chances are you might see a tooth knocked out in a skateboarding accident or a sport pile-up. This blog is dedicated to those moments when you could lose your wits, and it's here to ensure you don't. I am collecting and curating the best information about kids and dental emergencies here so that you will have it when you need it. Best of luck with your kids' smiles!