Toothache after Filling

Are you experiencing a toothache after filling? This is common and many people will feel their teeth are extra sensitive just after having a filling. The toothache may be a light throbbing or it could be due to exposure to hot or cold temperatures, the air, sugar, or even pressure. A toothache after filling will usually resolve without any special treatment within a few weeks time. It is recommended to avoid whatever causes you a toothache after filling, however, until the pain dies down. It’s rare that after a filling you would need a pain killer to help you with the pain, but if so some over the counter drugs like ibuprofen should help dull the pain and make it manageable.

Contacting the Dentist

If your toothache after filling persists for weeks then you will find that it is a good idea to contact the dentist to let them know what is going on. This goes for extremely sensitive teeth, too. Most dentists will recommend toothpaste for sensitive teeth, first. If this does not work then you may need a root canal to help eliminate your toothache.

Other Causes

There are actually many things that could cause tooth sensitivity or a toothache after filling. For example, if the pain is around the filling then you may need to have the dentist take a look at his work. Perhaps the filling was not performed correctly and is causing the persistent toothache.

Another cause of pain is from having the filling not fit your bite. If when you bite down you feel immediate pain it could be because the filling was not shaped properly and when you bite you put pressure on it. Have your dentist take another look to determine if this is the problem and if so, repair it!

Teeth touching pain is another potential problem. This happens because of the metal in one tooth being different than the metal in another tooth and when they touch they cause pain. Usually, this type of pain resolves within a few days by itself and with no special treatment. However, if the pain does not resolve then you will need to pay your dentist another visit.

If the toothache is persistent after the filling it could be that the decay had actually already affected the pulp. In this case, the only recourse is a root canal to treat the toothache and get your mouth healthy again.

Another problem could be an allergic reaction to the silver amalgam used in the filling. If this is the case you will likely experience itching, skin rashes, and other common allergy symptoms. The silver filling would need to be replaced with a composite filling.