query about replacement fillings/root canal

[porolli]

I went yesterday for a replacement filling in an upper molar. I've been to the dentist four times in the last year, complaining of toothache. the first occasion I was pregnant, so was not xrayed but sent away with antibiotics and told to come back after the baby was born. which I did, was given a check up and told everything was fine. ditto six months later, except i was told the pain when I bit down was due to a cracked filling. I had that re done yesterday and it still hurts to bite down. the dentist yesterday said it might hurt for a few days as it was a deep large filling. however, on reflection I can't believe I've not had an xray and fear I need root canal work. does anyone know if it's true that it might still be reasonable for it to hurt when I bite down, without it being anything more sinister? the practice is unfriendly and I feel I'm constantly fobbed off, as I'm still an NHS patient (they've struck my children off for allegedly not going often enough)

I am still NHS and my dentist and I hate going to the dentist. My dentist is very get on an do it and see you in 6 months but the advice they have given after I have had major filling work done is it will take a few days to settle down. Even where they inject leaves a bruising effect for about 5 days! So my advice is try and wait for 5-7 days until the bruising/nerves and your gum settles down. Perhaps even consider what you are eating ie softer things. I know crunchy nut cornflakes are a bit hard on my teeth especially after going to the dentist!
Hope it settles down soon.

We managed to get registered with a new practice that opened, (not so hard to get one here). I am so glad we changed, everyone said the dentist I was going to was great, but I was starting to dread going, never minded going before, last straw was a painful and truamatic extraction.

New dentist is young and brilliant, kids love going, I got 2 teeth pulled but was soo worried she refered me to a place that does it under sedation even though that meant she wouldn't get the money for this. She manages to examine nme with out making my jaw ache for days and my lips bleed.

deep fillings do hurt sometimes afterwards. My last one (which admitedly was aroot filling) hgurt for 4 days. if the dentist redid the filling he would have seen evidence of further decay surely?

It is very likely that you have pain when you bite down from a new filling. The nerve in the tooth will slightly upset for a while after the tppth has been messed around with.

You don't need an xray if it is just a cacked filling.

If you need a root canal you would have pain all the time. You most certainly would have been in much more pain BEFORE the filling was done too.

'they've struck my children off for allegedly not going often enough' They have just followed government guidelines here I am afriad. In the current climate if you want to keep your NHS dentist you have keep going on a regular basis.

really sc? in that case my dentist has diddled me into 300E worth of root filling...

without knowing the ins & out of how it came to a root filling, it's hard to comment on your case, SP.

But we would always ask the patient to give it some time to allow the tooth to settle before rushing into RCT's, as it compromises the strength of the tooth.

I had root canal last year and can honestly say that the pain before I had it was horrendous (sp) I was up in the night crying taking paracetamol and ibuprofen to help (I had this for a few weeks because we couldn't find a dentist, and the emergency dentist can only do patch up work which didn't help)

After the treatment I was left with what I would call a normal tooth ache for about 2 days and have had nothing since then.

You have all just reminded me that I must book our 6mth appointment, I have a bit of an ache at the moment anyway so its a good time for it.

thanks for the replies. tooth still hurting when i bite down but I'll give it a few days if others have had this. I was hoping that evidence of decay would have been there - is that right? sandcastles - I thought there was not necessarily pain before root canal became necessary, but obviously hope I'm wrong. I'm a big wuss about the dentist... and as to my children, I took them with me every time I had an appt (roughly six monthly) and the dentist always looked at their teeth and pronounced them ok. I naively thought this counted as an appt so was v cross when they said they would no longer have them as patients, as I thought I'd been considerate in having us all seen at the same time! now I can't find an nhs dentist in the area who will take them. I have three children and am quoted £45 per visit per child. this is fairly crippling for me.

Certainly if you had decay & it was deep enough to warrant a RCT (root canal therepy), you most certainly would have had pain. Once decay hits the nerve chamber, the nerve is exposed & therefore needs an RCT.

I haven't come across a case where they was no pain at some point.

If you now need and RCT, you would also have pain on hot/cold/biting & just about at any point, tbh.

I feel it has been long enough yet for the filling to settle. I would give it a week.

If the dentist looked at children teeth & you signed a form for them, they are registered. If you didn't sign a form then, then they may not have been registered & just something he did to get the used to having their teeth looked at. Hard to say really. Did you sign a for for them at any point? When did they last attend? Were they official appointments or just add ons during your appointment?

hi sandcastles, thanks for replying. i have pain on biting and with cold. not all the time and not with hot. I did have one bad series of days with it about a year ago - when heavily pregnant - which was when i was given antibiotics. thank you for your advice and obviously I hope no further treatment required!

two of my children (5 and 3) were registered. the one born in Jan 06 I'm not sure about to be honest. I was asked his date of birth at my sept appt and this was inputted in the computer. I took that to be registration but the surgery say not. they also say the 3 yr old was not registered, which i dispute. I accept that they only had one named appt each, about 18 months ago, but as i say, have had teeth checked since. dh and i are both nhs patients at the practice, since we moved to the area 3 yrs ago.

Sounds like just setling pain to me. The big indication being if there was nerve involvement you would be feeling hot sensativity. The cold can be normal if it was a fair size filling.

It really seems that they don't know what they are doing, re the kids. If you & dh are patients, it's odd to deregister them. Were you informed? Because I kow when we deregistered patients we HAD to send them a letter informing them & giving them a chance to book in for an exam, but this was a few years ago, so the rules may have changed regarding this.

I suppose you could try calling & just explaining...what harm can it do? Unless you have already tried.

Had root canal in a front tooth in the Autumn and the pain was not consistent or even particlarly bad as tooth had died. Had an inflamed gum and felt a throb when biting down and general bruising and sentitivity when the tooth/gum line is touched. It didn't settle afterwards, agev ti a few weeks and ab's, and am now due to have follow up treatment privately in case there is a secondary canal to be surgically drained. I'd leave it at least a week but do also find it strange that no xray was done to ascertain the extent of the problem although presumably he felt firm tissue within the tooth as he drilled.

An xray would only be needed if a diagnosis couldn't be made by looking at the tooth once the filling had been removed.

It can be easy to rule out an RCT just by looking at what is infront of you.