Going to the dentist is scary. There are needles, drills, sounds, smells, and many things going on that can seem scary. Most of the time, I leave the dentist feeling sore, numb, and tired. However, I also feel happy knowing that I have taken care of my oral health and that I will not be missing any teeth in my wonderful smile!
But there are those times after getting a filling when my tooth feels really sensitive and hurts. So I did some research on why your tooth hurts after a filling, what to do if it doesn’t stop hurting, and why a dentist may have to drill deeper into a tooth for some cavities compared to others.
Why Your Tooth Hurts After A Filling
I found an excellent article on Colgate.com about why your tooth might hurt after a filling! If you would like to read it, you can click the on the hyperlink! To summarize what it says basically your tooth may be really sensitive after you get a filling. If you have terrible sensitivity, then it can be painful, and if the sensitivity does not go away after two weeks, then you need to see your dentist. If you are in a lot of pain, then you need to call your dentist so he can try to fix what is going wrong. If your filling is too high, then you need to see your dentist as soon as possible so he can reduce the height of the filling. But as a general rule you are going to be sensitive after a filling so there is nothing to be scared of.
Why A Dentist Would Need To Drill Deeper Into Your Tooth
In my research about drilling and filling cavities, I learned that the dentist needs to remove all of the decay before they can do a filling. How far a dentist needs to drill depends on how deep the decay is in your tooth. If you have a cavity that is deep within your tooth, then the dentist needs to drill the parts of your tooth that are affected by the decay. So the deeper the filling, the more the dentist will have to drill and the closer they get to your precious nerves.
This is why going to the dentist at least twice a year is so important. We as humans don’t have the ability to measure if we have a cavity developing unless we feel pain on our teeth. Thankfully, your dentist does. If you can catch a cavity in the younger stages of development, you have a better chance of saving more of your tooth and saving yourself from a lot of unnecessary pain. You will also save money in the long run.
I have some great sources here for any additional questions about dentistry that are answered by real dentists. Just click the links to be directed to the website.
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