As a busy Eastern Sydney dentist, we’re often asked by patients “do dental fillings hurt?” In this post, we’re going to take a look at the procedure and answer the question as honestly as we can. Let’s get started…
Tooth pain is often an indication that something needs to be addressed. A cavity, for instance, can cause anything from occasional tooth sensitivity to continual throbbing pain depending upon the degree of the problem. It’s important to remember, therefore, that treatments like tooth fillings are designed to fix the problem, restore a tooth and get you out of pain.
So what can you expect from a dental fillings procedure itself?
Before any filling can start, your dentist will anaesthetise in and around the area of the tooth. For this reason, you may feel a tiny pinching or stinging sensation as the injection is applied. Typically, this lasts only for a few seconds and really is nothing to worry about. If, however, you do have a phobia surrounding needles, then there are other ways of administering a local anaesthetic, so please do tell us.
Once the area feels numb and you’re happy to proceed, our dentist will get to work.
During the tooth fillings procedure, you may feel some slight pressure as the filling material is positioned into the tooth but certainly no pain.
Before you know it, the procedure is over and you should be pain or discomfort free with no more tooth sensitivity.
What about after dental fillings? What can you expect then?
After a couple of hours, any anesthetic should have worn off but the area may feel a little sensitive in some cases. To counteract this, your dentist may recommend you take pain killers, although most people find that they don’t need them.
If you do find that your tooth fillings are overly sensitive or are causing you a degree of discomfort then contact your dentist again for help.
It could be that your filling has been positioned too high up in your mouth. This can cause unnecessary contact between your filling and corresponding teeth which in turn can result in discomfort when you bite.
If dental fillings are found to be too high, your dentist should be able to reposition them. Sometimes this can be difficult to gauge before any anesthetic has worn off. Often, it’s only afterwards when a patient feels their bite that they realise that it might need some slight adjustment.
Other signs that dental fillings hurt
Sometimes an opening may occur between the tooth filling and the tooth where bacteria and debris can enter. This can cause discomfort around the filling site particularly when infection takes hold.
Other problems involve cracked or broken tooth fillings which can occur when chewing on particularly hard foods or when receiving some kind of blow or trauma to the face. Again, this may cause tooth sensitivity particularly when sucking in air.
So how painful are tooth fillings really?
When we encounter patients who ask, “do dental fillings hurt?” we can honestly say hand on heart that unless you experience problems like those listed above, dental fillings should not be painful – either during the initial procedure or on a day to day basis.
If your dental fillings are causing you discomfort, it’s usually a sign that you need dental help.
If you have any questions like ‘do dental fillings hurt?’ and would like to know more about undergoing dental filling treatment, why not talk to our friendly team face to face. Tooth fillings are essential for protecting and prolonging the life of your teeth so let us show you how we can help.
Book a consultation at Bondi Beach Dental or call us at (02) 9365 6197 today.
