If you’ve been told that you have a cavity and the best solution is to fill it, then you may be wondering “do dental fillings hurt?” Concern about whether a dental filling might hurt, often causes people to put off getting treatment. The problem with that is that any delay in treatment can make matters worse.
When a person has a cavity in their tooth, it’s quite likely that their dentist will recommend a dental filling. The good news is that modern tooth fillings are both safe and effective and during the process, patients can expect to feel little to no discomfort.
Nowadays, the most common form of dental fillings are composite (white) fillings. These are tooth-coloured and can be carefully matched to the shade of your teeth to give a seamless repair. Fillings are usually carried out in just one sitting.
Undergoing a tooth filling – The procedure?
Here at No Gaps, our dentists are experienced in the art of gentle dentistry and will start by numbing the relevant area in your mouth before administering a local anaesthetic.
The next step is to remove any decay from the tooth using a special dental tool. If this is causing you discomfort, our dentist will administer more local anaesthetic to the area.
Once the cavity is clean and dry, the dental filling can be placed. Composite tooth fillings comprise of plastic resin and finely ground glass-like particles which are blended into a flexible resin. This is then layered into the tooth cavity. Each layer is ‘cured’ or hardened with a special light. Once the cavity is full, all that’s left for the dentist to do is to shape the material, trim off any excess, and polish the restoration. Finally, they will get you to gently bite down to check for bite.
The great thing about composite fillings is that they look so natural that no-one, but you and your dentist will know that you’ve undergone a dental restoration.
Relax, you won’t know a thing about it
If you’re particularly anxious about getting a dental filling, then we can provide dental sedation to make your treatment more comfortable. This consists of breathing a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) through a small mask which is placed over your nose.
This will make you feel relaxed and without a care in the world!
Once your filling has been completed, the mask is removed, and you’ll feel back to normal in just a couple of minutes.
While the answer to “do dental fillings hurt?” is no, patients may feel slight discomfort for a few days afterwards.
What About after dental fillings? What Can I Expect?
Patients are unlikely to feel anything until the effects of the numbing gel wear off in a couple of hours. Once this happens it’s perfectly natural to feel one or more unusual sensations in the mouth. These include:
- Discomfort in the teeth encompassing the filling
- Tenderness in the affected tooth when eating, brushing your teeth and/or flossing
- A sharp sensation in your teeth when breathing in cold air, sipping hot or cold drinks, or when eating sweet foods
- Tenderness in your gums
- A slight ache when you clench your teeth together
What causes sensitivity after tooth fillings?
There are several causes for tooth sensitivity after a dental filling. Some of these reasons are as follows:
Change in your bite
Sometimes tooth fillings can become taller than your other teeth. This can cause discomfort when you close your mouth because of the extra pressure on the tooth or teeth that have just been filled. In some cases, this can even cause a filling to crack, so get in touch with your dentist as soon as you notice a problem.
Referred pain
It’s also common to feel discomfort in the teeth which are surrounding the newly filled tooth. This is known as referred pain and is your body’s way of letting the other teeth in your mouth know what’s been going on.
Multiple tooth surfaces
You can also experience discomfort from having two different types of surfaces in your mouth. For instance, if one tooth has a gold crown and the tooth below or above it has a silver filling, it may feel odd when they come into contact with each other.
Allergic reaction
In rare cases, a person may be feeling discomfort because of a reaction with the type of dental material used for the filling, for example, mercury dental fillings. In this instance, the dental filling will need to be removed and replaced with a different material.
So there you have it – All you need to know about tooth fillings and sensitivity afterwards.
But before you go, there is one major reason that millions of Australians put off going to the dentist, and it’s not because they think it’s going to hurt!
It’s only natural to be scared of going to the dentist if you think it may hurt. But according to a survey carried out by Finder.com.au and over 2000 Aussies, it turns out that 44.6 percent of people stated high costs as being the main reason for not visiting a dentist.
At No Gaps Dental we’re committed to keeping our prices as low as possible so don’t let cost or pain be the reason you don’t get treatment.
If you need a tooth filling or you are overdue a dental check-up call us today on (02) 8007 6727 to book an appointment. Alternatively you can book online with your preferred No Gaps dental clinic.