How long should you have tooth pain after getting fillings?

[Chaos Descending]

Monday afternoon I got a filling on a back tooth top left side and a filling on a back tooth bottom left side.

The dentist thought we'd get away with both fillings without injectable anesthesia. We got the bottom one done that way, no problem. But the top tooth wasn't so great so we paused so he could get me the shots to numb it all up and then we proceeded and all seemed well and good.

Eating supper that night after the anesthesia wore off, the top tooth that had been filled got a sharp pain when I bit down on food on that side of the mouth. Bottom one was alright. No pain of any kind when just biting down top jaw to bottom jaw.

Now it's Thursday and I don't really get the same "pressure pain" when chewing on the left side, but if I DO chew using the left side, after going at it for a few minutes I start to get an aching and throbbing pain that lasts for longer than I like. (Yesterday, almost three hours).

Now I understand you're inclined to say, "quit chewing on your left side", and yes, I get that, but I also can't do that forever and if this is normal I need to be able to see when it gets better.

So.

IS this normal? IS this something that ought to go away within a certain timeframe? Or do I need to get ahold of my dentist now and tell him to have a look and fix whatever might have gone wrong?

Thanks!

 

[Timewalker]

Were you prescribed any pain meds? (normally you would have been, or at least advised about what would be safe to take)

You didn't say what you were eating, but I would suggest to eat soft foods and call your dentist. Some people take longer than others to recover from this sort of procedure.

 

[Tosk]

I can only say that I have had this happen to me. One of my more recent fillings kept hurting for about two weeks, to the point where I was really worried that it would have to come out after all, but it dulled down over that time and eventually settled in. Haven't heard a peep from it since. That's not to say it'll be the same for you, but it definitely can happen.

 

[Chaos Descending]

So I made it back to the dentist yesterday. He ground down both of my fillings (the upper and the lower) then applied some filling sealer. Checked my bite level and then ground down the sealer until he was satisfied with my bite.

Still had a lot of pain last night, but today it's been pretty copacetic so far. Too early to tell, I think.

 

[Malicia]

Was the pain there before the fillings? If the dentist was able to do the fillings without an injection it sounds like they are only small cavities so there was no need for any root canal work but the pain from fillings should be gone after a few days even without local anaesthetic so it could be an infection. I recently moved and am having a nightmare finding an NHS dentist because none are taking on new patients. I've been getting mild pain on a tooth and sometimes have bouts of throbbing. I'm calling a dentist on Monday morning that accepts emergency patients but it will probably be as a private patient which is much more expensive. It will be worth it just to get a checkup and see if I have an infection and a course of antibiotics which will buy me more time to find an NHS dentist.

 

[valkyrie013]

You'll have some pain for abit since it is brused. And the tooth will be sensitive to pressure for abit.
They should have made sure of the bite after the filling. Just take it a day at a time. It'll get better.

If it's sharp pain at rest, go back soon.

 

[Chaos Descending]

There was no pain before the fillings. In fact they discovered the cavities and filled them on the same visit.
And they did (try to) adjust the bite / height the same day.

The dentist was very surprised at how much it all hurts because they were just very small cavities and very small fillings.

 

[MacLeod]

When ever I've had fillings any discomfort following it has usually gone away within a few hours.

 

[Unicron]

When ever I've had fillings any discomfort following it has usually gone away within a few hours.

Same. I wasn't exactly the best angel with my teeth in my youth, but I try to be better now. Typically if I need a filling they give me some anesthetic and I don't experience any major discomfort after I leave.

 

[Chaos Descending]

it might have to do with the type of fillings.

some metal fillings might react to other metal fillings, like if you bite a metal paper clip, so a sealant covering would be needed....if that was an issue

They're the white tooth colored filling. I can't remember what it's called but it's not metal as far as I can remember.

 

[Malicia]

I remember having gas when it was still legal and feeling terrible when I woke up after a double extraction when I was about ten years old. The dentist offered me the two teeth he had just extracted in some tissue so I could take them home to put under the pillow but I was so groggy I said no. Fortunately my mum took them so I still got some tooth fairy cashola.