“Why does my filling hurt when I chew?”
I am a 48 year old male. As of recently my fillings hurt when I chew food. What could be the cause?
3 Answers
The filling can be a little high and need some adjustment. It can also hurt because the cavity was close to the nerve.
There may be a couple of reasons why your filling hurts when you chew. First, if it is a new filling the bite may have to be adjusted. The filling may be a little high. Go back to your dentist and have it adjusted. If it is an old filling it have a crack in it and that area around the
crack is exposed to the oral environment. If this is the case, the filling may have to be replaced. The tird possibility is that the tooth is cracked vertically through the length of the tooth. This is a little more serious. If this is the case the tooth has to be extracted.
As a side note, this happened to me last summer. My Dentist had to extract the split tooth. I will have an dental implant placed and restored in the spring. Good luck to you. I hope your problem can be resolved with a simple new filling. .
crack is exposed to the oral environment. If this is the case, the filling may have to be replaced. The tird possibility is that the tooth is cracked vertically through the length of the tooth. This is a little more serious. If this is the case the tooth has to be extracted.
As a side note, this happened to me last summer. My Dentist had to extract the split tooth. I will have an dental implant placed and restored in the spring. Good luck to you. I hope your problem can be resolved with a simple new filling. .
Hello,
Sorry to hear about your fillings hurting. There are a few things that can cause the teeth with fillings in them to hurt, including; filling is slightly too high, filling is too close to the pulp chamber (center of the tooth where the nerve and blood vessels are), or there is a cavity or decay underneath of the filling.
First of all, if the fillings are relatively new, it is a good chance that the filling is slightly too high. When the filling was placed there was most likely local anesthesia (numbing) involved. By the time the fillings were completed the local anesthesia still had not worn off so it is hard to tell if the filling is a little high. This is especially possible if there were multiple fillings done at the same time. This common to realize right after the fillings are done, but it can be some time after as well.
Secondly, sometimes the cavity in the tooth gets too close to the pulp chamber (were the nerve and blood vessels sit). This usually causes discomfort all the time but it can gradually get worse over time when chewing (micro fractures can occur in the tooth around the filling). The filling moving around as well.
Finally, fillings can start to hurt if they get a cavity underneath of them. Most of the time the filling will look intact but there is a small cavity underneath of it allowing the bacteria to make the tooth sensitive. This is less likely if it is more then one filling.
These are just some of the common causes for filling to hurt. It is best to have them evaluated by a doctor. It could be as simple as a small adjustment that only takes a few seconds. Hope this helps.
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Sorry to hear about your fillings hurting. There are a few things that can cause the teeth with fillings in them to hurt, including; filling is slightly too high, filling is too close to the pulp chamber (center of the tooth where the nerve and blood vessels are), or there is a cavity or decay underneath of the filling.
First of all, if the fillings are relatively new, it is a good chance that the filling is slightly too high. When the filling was placed there was most likely local anesthesia (numbing) involved. By the time the fillings were completed the local anesthesia still had not worn off so it is hard to tell if the filling is a little high. This is especially possible if there were multiple fillings done at the same time. This common to realize right after the fillings are done, but it can be some time after as well.
Secondly, sometimes the cavity in the tooth gets too close to the pulp chamber (were the nerve and blood vessels sit). This usually causes discomfort all the time but it can gradually get worse over time when chewing (micro fractures can occur in the tooth around the filling). The filling moving around as well.
Finally, fillings can start to hurt if they get a cavity underneath of them. Most of the time the filling will look intact but there is a small cavity underneath of it allowing the bacteria to make the tooth sensitive. This is less likely if it is more then one filling.
These are just some of the common causes for filling to hurt. It is best to have them evaluated by a doctor. It could be as simple as a small adjustment that only takes a few seconds. Hope this helps.
William F. Scott IV, DMD
