Why is my tooth sensitive?!
Question:
Why is my tooth sensitive?
About 2 months ago, I went to the dentist for a checkup and she told me that I had a cavity in an upper molar. I should mention that this tooth had a filling in it once, that had fallen out without my knowledge. I'm not sure how long it went without the filling, but it would have been 6 months or less. I had the dentist refill it with white composite, and it was still fairly small - the area wasn't numbed. 3 weeks later, I began having slight twinges of pain when I'd chew anything hard on that molar. I went back, and she prescribed some anti-inflammatories and something to kill bacteria. She said she thought it was hyper-sensitive. I've since taken all the medication, but I still have an occasional twinge when I chew, but to a much lesser degree. The pain is not constant, it just twinges occasionally when I chew, and it's not unbearable. I'll be going back to the dentist soon, but in the meantime I was hoping someone could give me some idea of what might be wrong.
Answers:
Teeth filled with composite take longer to recover from being drilled and having the composite placed. I would give the tooth a few more weeks and if it doesn't stop the twinges, have the dentist X-ray the tooth for possible "open-margins" around the new filling. Composites are much harder to place than silver fillings and very technique-sensitive. But it could just be the tooth "settling" down from the new work.