SENSITIVE FILLINGS

Those new fillings are sensitive---and they didn't bother you at all before! Grrrr!

WHY ARE NEW FILLINGS SOMETIMES SENSITIVE?

Anytime drilling is done it is somewhat irritating to the pulp (nerve center) of a tooth. Unfortunately drilling is necessary to remove decay or leaking fillings. Even though teeth may not have been bothering you at all, if left untreated they would continue to deteriorate until more severe treatment would be needed (such as a larger fillings, crowns, root canals or extractions). The less drilling that has to be done, the better. Although even small fillings may sometimes be sensitive, when moderate or deep decay (closer to the pulp) has to be removed from a previously unfilled tooth or from beneath an old filling, the tooth is especially prone to be sensitive for a time. Usually this sensitivity is temporary and fades over days, weeks, and months until it is no longer very noticeable. It is especially common for sensitivity to keep decreasing during the first 8-12 weeks after a filling is placed.

BUT I'VE HAD FILLINGS DONE BEFORE AND THEY DIDN'T HURT

There may be different circumstances you aren't aware of. Although predicting when a new filling will be sensitive isn't an exact science, some circumstances which make sensitivity more likely are:

. Replacing old fillings where new decay beneath the filling had to be removed (the drilling and

      new filling may both be deeper than any you've experienced in the past)

. Fillings on the front, back, near the gum line, or running down the sides of the teeth are more

      prone to be sensitive than fillings which are on the biting surface only (the enamel is far

      thicker on the biting surface and fillings there can be much deeper before being sensitive).

.' People who have a habit of clenching or grinding their teeth often have more sensitivity

WHA T IF THE SENSITIVITY PERSISTS?

The answer to that question is the trend: what is happening as time passes?

The tooth will either be:

. Getting less sensitive as time passes (although perhaps only very slowly)

. Getting more sensitive as time passes (hurting more severely, more often, and for

longer periods of time, maybe even all by itself without you doing anything to it)

. staying the same (getting neither better or worse as time passes)

If the tooth is getting less sensitive as time passes (even very slowly) this is a good sign that things are going well and that eventually you won't notice it anymore. If the tooth is getting more sensitive as time passes that's a bad sign-the tooth may need a root canal-and we want to see you to check it. Any large filling or crown can potentially need a root canal, but we will not' recommend one unless it is obvious that nothing else will work. If the tooth is staying the same­-getting neither better or worse as time passes-that usually means that there is a minor problem and we want to see you. The most common problem is that the bite is a little high someplace (even though it may not seem like it to you) and we need to adjust it slightly. This can happen because people who are numb don't always bite the same once the numbness wears off. By adjusting your filling we can usually get the sensitivity to go away much quicker.

Sometimes very large or deep fillings will always be a bit sensitive, especially to cold. In these cases it is necessary to decide whether or not the sensitivity is sufficiently bad

enough to warrant doing a root canal. Usually we wouldn't recommend this without waiting 6 months to a year because so often over time things do improve.