“Dying teeth?”
I stopped going to my dentist for a long time as I moved. Then I decided to see a new dentist just to make sure if I have any new cavities. He took an x-ray and said I don't have any new cavities but asked me if I wanted to redo my old fillings. I said YES without knowing the outcome (which I am suffering for the past 2 years). He refilled all 7 fillings (all right side) 2 premolar and 1st molar up and 2 premolar and 2 molars down at a time. While he was drilling I had pain and he gave me another needle to finish the work. After that, I had severe pain in my 2nd upper premolar #15 and ended up doing a root canal by the same dentist.
In 2 days I started feeling pressure in #14 1st upper premolar. At this point, the dentist ditched me by saying he had no idea what was happening as all my down right side also became too sensitive. (He initially thought if he applied fluoride it will be ok but didn't work) I stopped eating on my right side from the day I came back after the refilling to this day. I went to several dentists after that. I was told to wait as it would take some time to heal both the root canal and the filling but it didn't instead became worse. After a year I found another dentist and he said #14 and #45 not responding to the cold test. The down right side sensitivity stopped after #45 died and 1st molar down has been bonded by this dentist.
Another specialist did a root canal for 1 st upper premolar #14. In 2 days again my canine #13 started feeling pressure in the same way I had for 14 when 15 root canal was done. Now I am scared to do a root canal for #45 down premolar right and thinking about doing an extraction. My question is what happened after the refilling that caused this chain reaction which yet didn't stop and seems to be continuing. Is there a chance of minor hairline cracks when drilling or bacteria went in as he did all 7 fillings all in the same tools or any other cause? What should I do to #45 and not risk doing another root canal later? When will it stop? I also had antibiotics 3 times in these 2 years.
In 2 days I started feeling pressure in #14 1st upper premolar. At this point, the dentist ditched me by saying he had no idea what was happening as all my down right side also became too sensitive. (He initially thought if he applied fluoride it will be ok but didn't work) I stopped eating on my right side from the day I came back after the refilling to this day. I went to several dentists after that. I was told to wait as it would take some time to heal both the root canal and the filling but it didn't instead became worse. After a year I found another dentist and he said #14 and #45 not responding to the cold test. The down right side sensitivity stopped after #45 died and 1st molar down has been bonded by this dentist.
Another specialist did a root canal for 1 st upper premolar #14. In 2 days again my canine #13 started feeling pressure in the same way I had for 14 when 15 root canal was done. Now I am scared to do a root canal for #45 down premolar right and thinking about doing an extraction. My question is what happened after the refilling that caused this chain reaction which yet didn't stop and seems to be continuing. Is there a chance of minor hairline cracks when drilling or bacteria went in as he did all 7 fillings all in the same tools or any other cause? What should I do to #45 and not risk doing another root canal later? When will it stop? I also had antibiotics 3 times in these 2 years.
Female | 52 years old
5 Answers
To begin, I’m very sorry that you had these terrible experiences at your dentist. I’m sure that he was trying to help you but obviously that wasn’t the outcome.
An answer could be that because you were numb the correct bite could not be reestablished and your teeth were not meshing properly since so many areas were numbed to do 7 fillings at one time.
The question of bacteria being carried from one tooth to another is not the cause of the problem. You can work on many teeth without infecting one tooth from another.
If the tooth preparations were deep because the cavities were deep is a likely cause of tooth sensitivity/ pain. If the decay was very deep but not definitely into the nerve then a root canal would not have been advised right away. Many teeth can have deep decay and not require root canals.
Basically, you could have had very deep cavities that should have had liners placed before the fillings were placed so that the nerves of the teeth would have been insulated from the new fillings. If the new fillings were composite/ tooth colored, they frequently cause sensitivity or pain to the teeth if a liner isn’t placed first.
Ask your dentist to take new x-rays so that the depth of the fillings can be assessed.
Ask your dentist to check your bite to correct any high spots and ensure that the teeth are meshing correctly..
Ask your dentist to pulp test your teeth to make sure the nerves are healthy and that isn’t what’s causing the pain.
Don’t ignore the pain. Go to your dentist and have everything brought back to a state of health.
Sincerely,
Dr. Druckman
An answer could be that because you were numb the correct bite could not be reestablished and your teeth were not meshing properly since so many areas were numbed to do 7 fillings at one time.
The question of bacteria being carried from one tooth to another is not the cause of the problem. You can work on many teeth without infecting one tooth from another.
If the tooth preparations were deep because the cavities were deep is a likely cause of tooth sensitivity/ pain. If the decay was very deep but not definitely into the nerve then a root canal would not have been advised right away. Many teeth can have deep decay and not require root canals.
Basically, you could have had very deep cavities that should have had liners placed before the fillings were placed so that the nerves of the teeth would have been insulated from the new fillings. If the new fillings were composite/ tooth colored, they frequently cause sensitivity or pain to the teeth if a liner isn’t placed first.
Ask your dentist to take new x-rays so that the depth of the fillings can be assessed.
Ask your dentist to check your bite to correct any high spots and ensure that the teeth are meshing correctly..
Ask your dentist to pulp test your teeth to make sure the nerves are healthy and that isn’t what’s causing the pain.
Don’t ignore the pain. Go to your dentist and have everything brought back to a state of health.
Sincerely,
Dr. Druckman
Signs of a dying or dead tooth can include:
Pain in the affected tooth when biting or chewing.
Spontaneous pain in the tooth.
Over-sensitivity in the affected tooth when you drink hot or cold beverages.
A dead tooth can appear discolored and is usually gray in appearance.
Pain in the affected tooth when biting or chewing.
Spontaneous pain in the tooth.
Over-sensitivity in the affected tooth when you drink hot or cold beverages.
A dead tooth can appear discolored and is usually gray in appearance.
I certainly feel your frustration and my prayers go out to you. The complexity of your case is beyond the scope of this Q&A session. I can say based on research fillings typically have a maximum serviceable lifespan of 7-10 years.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5839197/). From my experience, complications usually arise when fillings are left to serve beyond those times. Think of it like a roof... if you're roof is beyond 15 years old, the likelihood of leaks and subsequent damage to your house increases dramatically.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5839197/). From my experience, complications usually arise when fillings are left to serve beyond those times. Think of it like a roof... if you're roof is beyond 15 years old, the likelihood of leaks and subsequent damage to your house increases dramatically.
Thank you for asking me the questions. Before I can answer your questions, I would like to see if I may have your permission to submit your pre-and post-operative dental radiographs to my attention. Without looking into and comparing the radiographs before and after the treatment, it is difficult to answer your particular situation. In some instances, we may need different diagnostic tools ( such as Cone Beam Scan ) to determine what may be the cause of your dental pain. on one hand, if you had some relatively large and old amalgam fillings on all those involved teeth for many years, those old amalgam fillings could potentially cause a micro hairline crack. When you replace it, it could have more problems. If those old fillings were deep and near the pulp ( nerve), replacing them could irritate the pulp, causing subsequent inflammatory response/ sensitivity/pain...On the other hand, if those "old" fillings were NOT too large and NOT too deep, then replacing them may cause temporary/short-term sensitivity to cold, which usually will go away after a few weeks to a few months. Please feel free to reach out to me. I will be more than happy to evaluate your situation. Blessings to you!
Teeth can be very unpredictable and I personally never recommend removing a filling (including amalgam) unless it is failing. That being said, there are several reasons why a tooth could die after a filling is done. The proximity of the filling to the nerve has a large impact on the amount of post-operative pain. The type of filling material used on a tooth in close proximity to the nerve can affect the vitality of the tooth. The amount of water used while drilling has an effect on the vitality of the tooth. Typically it is better to save teeth (with a root canal and crown) when possible.
