Pain after composite filling tooth #3
 

Hi-

I had a composite filling in tooth #3. I was never advised the problems which could arise from this type of filling. I did not experience pain after the novocaine wore off....a few days later I did..so I went back to the dentist at about 3 weeks post filling, he did a bite test and said it was OK, he rubbed a blob of fluoride on it, and said to wait a while. That if it still bothered me, he would remove some of this filling , place some type of desensitizing filling in.

**Of course my dental insurance ceased at the end of June.:mad:

I have experienced so much pain, to heat, after I eat the articulating lower tooth hurts, my cheeks hurt as well as my mandible & maxilla. I went back to him a few days ago,5-6 weeks post original filling, He took an Xray and said it looked good. Then he referred me to an endodontist, saying "the endo had special tools to determine whether the nerve was necrotic ( and how much) or if it was fine. If the nerve was necrotic, I would require a root canal, which he wanted the endodontist to perform. As I do not have insurance, I know this is going to cost me quite a bit~ $1000+.

After reading some of the posts on this forum, root canal frightens me.:( I already have had 5-6 TMJ operations(w/impants) and I can barely open my mouth...so I am a fanatic about cleaning my teeth & flossing...which is why I was surprised that I had a cavity. At most of my biannual check ups, they hardly had to remove any plaque.

I am also a little ticked off, well a lot, at this dentist as I was a loyal customer for over 10 years..he knows my dental insurance ended.

Does this vitality "tool" exist? Is this normal?
:grouphug:

Stacy

Hi Stacy,

The vitality test is called the cold test. All you need is an ice cube to perform it. There is also another test called a pulp test which is a little battery operated hand held device that can measure the vitality of the tooth. It is not 100% accurate.

I cannot tell you about this particular filling as I cannot see you clinically and you have not posted a xray. The filling could be deep and irritating the pulp... it could be fractured... it could be too high in your bite as you move your jaw from side to side.

Having a chronic TMJ issue tends to make me think that your bite changes according to the level of inflammation in your joint and ligament. Anything that causes you stress will tighten that ligament and alter your bite even more.

Did you have any problems with that tooth prior to the new filling being placed? What filling material was in there originally?

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna-

Both TM joints are ankylosed, my side to side movement maybe 1-2 mm, I cannot move my mandible foreward and my opening is 10-12 mm. I have been operated on numerous times, and I keep forming adhesions. I know have dura covering the condyles and cadaver bone in the fossas ( I previously had metal implants & also became ankylosed...disaster).

I am new to this site and do not know how to post an Xray. He printed one for me to take to the endodontist, so I have a copy. That tooth was a vergin tooth. There was no filling.

I am thinking he was speaking of the pulp test. What do they do with an ice cube??

Thanks,

Stacy

Hi Stacy,

Wow, you have a messed up TMJ for sure! You poor thing :(

So the tooth had some decay and that's why the filling was put in. Was it a large filling? Was the decay deep?

To post an xray here if it is a digital xray ... you would have to have the dental office email it to you, then you would post it here as an attachment.

The endodontist may take an xray of his own.. which would be wise as it would be of better diagnostic quality over the copy.

The cold test is when the dentist takes a small piece of an ice cube or sprays a cotton tip with cold ice and places in directly on the tooth. It is normal for a healthy tooth to react to severe cold and then quickly recover once the cold is removed. If the tooth has little to no reaction to the cold then that can indicate a decrease in vitality. If the tooth does not quickly recover from the cold that can indicate a hypersensitivity from a fracture in the tooth or opening in the filling.

Bryanna


QUOTE=Stacy_11;1005874]Thanks Bryanna-

Both TM joints are ankylosed, my side to side movement maybe 1-2 mm, I cannot move my mandible foreward and my opening is 10-12 mm. I have been operated on numerous times, and I keep forming adhesions. I know have dura covering the condyles and cadaver bone in the fossas ( I previously had metal implants & also became ankylosed...disaster).

I am new to this site and do not know how to post an Xray. He printed one for me to take to the endodontist, so I have a copy. That tooth was a vergin tooth. There was no filling.

I am thinking he was speaking of the pulp test. What do they do with an ice cube??

Thanks,

Stacy[/QUOTE]

Ice Cube
 

Thanks Bryanna-

I just put an ice cube between most of my teeth and it did not bother hardly any of them...maybe I am doing it incorrectly? For a few weeks hot coffee was REALLY flaring up the pain. In fact, i could not even eat hot food on the opposite side of my mouth. If anything hot touched my palate, the pain was excruciating. Now it is not.

I will try to post the Xray.

I guess instead of an RC would be to have the tooth extracted. But my wisdom teeth were impacted by bone and they are gone, so I only have tooth #2 on the upper right.

Hi Stacy,

Yea, it's a little more involved than just touching your teeth with ice. There are certain areas of the tooth that the cold is applied to and it is purposely kept there until the patient responds. Teeth can generally take some degree of cold without any reaction as in eating cold foods.

Was the cavity deep or the filling deep?

Bryanna

I am trying to attach the xray now.Attachment 7630

Hi Stacy,

Thanks for posting the xray. It came out legible :)

The filling does not appear to be near the pulp. However, it is a large filling and it is actually on the cusp of the tooth. The cusps of the teeth take a lot of abuse when chewing and generally a filling replacing a cusp would extend a bit farther into the occlusal (biting) surface of the tooth for better retention. I'm not sure why he didn't do that. Did the cusp of this tooth break off and he replaced the missing piece with a composite filling?

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna-

You may think I am nuts, but now the tooth feels like I can move it with my tongue.

Nothing broke off. I went in for my bi-annual, feeling fine. So do you think it needs to be redone?

ACtually, I think I had this cavity/decay at the last appt, because it was a non xray appt, and I remember when he probed my mouth (less than 30 seconds), he was probing that area...and I said then, if I have a cavity, even if it is small, fill it now. He said it was OK.

I was looking for some natural dental products at CVS and could not find any.

Hi Stacy,

I think the filling may be in a weird spot. On the xray (which is only 2 dimensional) it appears that it has taken the place of one of the cusps on the tooth. If you can picture the pointy cusps on the tooth, there are say 4 of them on this tooth. He removed one and put a filling there. This type of restoration is prone to fracture because the cusps take a lot of abuse when chewing. So even if it had a hairline fracture in the filling you would get some sensitivity to temperatures and/or discomfort or pain or a feeling of something loose depending on how you bit down on it. Am I being clear on that explanation? If the restoration were to be redone, he could extend the filling into the biting surface of the tooth a little bit to give it more retention.

Also, if this restoration is not fitting properly into your existing bite then as you grind/clench or chew you are hitting into it unnaturally and that would cause the ligament to become inflamed which could also cause the tooth to feel loose. This situation eventually leads to an irritated nerve and then onto an infection.

Healthy oral products are often found in health food stores, some really big drug stores and online. I buy many products online from vitacost.com. They have a great selection and great prices!

Bryanna

Tooth#3
 

Thanks Bryanna-

The xray is a paper copy of what he gave me to give to the endodontist. Could I call them and ask them to email me my Xrays?

To me, in his mind, he has passed me off to the endodontist...No longer is it his probelm.:mad:

Maybe I should call my CC co and protest the charge until it is done correctly? However I believe that would be conflictual and they would not help me at all.

He has tested my bite w/ "carbon copy"paper numerous times.

I am so disgusted at this point.

I do not think I am clenching at night, but perhaps I should wear a night guard just in case?

Hi Stacy,

If the xray is digital, then you could have him email it to you.

I think the dentist was trying to be conservative with this filling and in doing so he may not have extended the filling into the occlusal surface. That is not really something to be mad about as he may have felt it would hold up okay in your mouth and with your bite. Some people have so many restorations and/or their bite is so horrendous that these types of fillings always have to be made larger or they won't hold up.

Calling the credit card company is not going to really be helpful. If you want this filling to be replaced, then just talk to him about it. Let him know that you have no intentions of having a root canal (if that is what you feel in general) and should the filling be redone to be made a little differently so that it is not just the cusp of the tooth.

He has tested your bite..... has he tested it while you were in a sitting position? Or just when you were lying down? The jaw shifts back when lying down and more forward when sitting up. The bite should always be tested in both positions. MANY dentists rarely do this and I have no idea why!

I thought you mentioned that you were clenching at night and your jaw was sore in the morning?? I could be thinking of someone else here...

Bryanna

Tooth #3
 

Hi Bryanna-

Yes, It was a digital Xray.

I forget if I was reclined or sitting up when he checked my bite...probably reclined.:(

I definitely do not want a root canal, nor do I want to see the endodontist.

I think he passed me off as he knows my dental insurance was up at then end of June. Honestly.

I do not think I am clenching...but in case I am and not realizing it, could a night guard hurt?

Also, is it ok to use the sonic care TB on that tooth?

:hug:

Hi Stacy,

If the dentist were to redo the filling at this time, he would not charge you again. It is not unusual for a conventional dentist to refer out to an endodontist without any hesitation because they usually are of the mindset that root canals are just a "tooth" issue. They don't think past that.

A night guard can help put the jaw at rest when you sleep. But it has to be made to fit properly over your bite.

I would hold off on using the electric toothbrush on that tooth until it has completely calmed down and stayed calm for a few weeks.

Bryanna

pain after filling
 

If you are feeling severe pain after filling and if it persists for quite some time then there might be some problem. If filling was done without properly cleaning the cavities then decay might have started again. Its not common to feel pain after composite filling is done but people feel pain for few days. If you have severe pain you can try out doing root canal as this process involves removing contact of teeth from infected nerve. You don't have to be fearful in doing root canal as this is just another type of treatment like filling. I consulted Dr.David Silberman of dental treatment in Richmond in Texas for my dental implants and root canal as I had missing tooth and severe decayed teeth and from my experience root canal is not a process which involves pain.