My dentist placed three small white fillings two weeks ago. When I chew hard or crunchy foods, I feel sharp pain. The pain is not getting worse, but it is consistent. I called my dentist’s office, and she said that if it got worse, she would replace the fillings. I am not so sure that she knows what she is doing. If the next fillings do not work, I am considering scheduling an emergency appointment with another dentist and asking them to remove the fillings. I will use temporary drug store fillings until I find another dentist. Do you know of any patients experiencing sharp pain two weeks after getting fillings? – Thanks. Solomon from GA
Solomon
Thank you for contacting our office. Although it is not common, sometimes small fillings lead to sharp pain. The problem may be related to bonding the filling to the dentin (the layer beneath the enamel).
Resolving Sharp Pain Beneath New Fillings
Composite filling
If you feel sharp pain beneath your fillings, you can either ask your dentist to replace them or schedule an appointment with a cosmetic dentist.
Replacing painful fillings
If you feel a sharp pain beneath a filling, your dentist must protect your tooth from sensitivity with these steps:
- Remove the old fillings
- Apply a glass ionomer base on your tooth to protect the dentin (the layer beneath the enamel)
- Apply the composite and bond it to the glass ionomer
The above steps should eliminate the sensitivity. If your dentist does not want to complete the process or does not know how to do it, find an experienced cosmetic dentist to complete the work.
Take time to look for a dentist with post-graduate cosmetic dentistry training, and you will get stable, comfortable fillings. But by no means should you schedule an urgent appointment with another dentist to remove the fillings only. Eventually, you would need to replace the do-it-yourself temporary fillings.
Dr. Siny Thomas, a Sugar Land cosmetic dentist, sponsors this post.