If the filling is too close to the nerve, it may get infected slowly. Dentists can't predict the time frame for the tooth to become infected. If infected, you may experience a throbbing pain or a dental abscess.
What happens if a filling is too deep? If you have undergone a deep filling and are experiencing pain, it may be that the filling has reached a nerve and has irritated it. The nerve should heal itself, but if pain or sensitivity does not subside within two to four weeks, dental intervention may be required.
Nerve damage in teeth after fillings
The procedure of fillings sometimes means that nerves inside the tooth have been aggravated. Fillings, no matter how deep, can get close to the sensitive nerve endings in teeth and cause irritation and unpleasant sensations.
The signs of nerve damage after a dental injection
Numbness or lack of feeling in the tongue, gums, cheeks, jaw or face. A pulling or tingly sensation in these areas. Pain or a burning feeling in these areas. Loss of taste or things tasting unusual.
If your tooth has decay to the enamel or dentin, a simple filling is enough to repair the cavity. However, if the cavity is left untreated, the decay will reach the deepest layer of the tooth, the nerve tissue. At this point, a root canal is necessary to repair the tooth.
If the filling has not been adequately prepared, the mixture may not bond properly to the tooth tissue and this may cause the filling to fall out or cause a gap, which could then allow further decay to form and lead to long lasting toothache as the pulp of the tooth becomes infected.
On occasion, after the placement of a restoration, a tooth can become non-vital and require root canal treatment. Every time a filling is placed or replaced, there is trauma to the pulp (nerve and blood supply). It can be a combination of many things that will cause this trauma.
If you suffered nerve damage following a dental procedure, you may experience: Numbness or lack of feeling in the gums, cheeks, jaw, face, or tongue. A tingling or pulling sensation in these areas. Pain or burning.
Lingual Nerve Injury from Anesthetic Injections
Lingual nerve injuries caused by a dental injection may be described as “lingual nerve paresthesia” or “lingual nerve dysesthesia.” Lingual nerve dysesthesia would typically describe an abnormal sensation that becomes intense or painful.
The nerves are located in the middle of the tooth, within soft tissue called pulp. The pulp also contains blood vessels and connective tissue. If this part of the tooth becomes infected or damaged, your dentist may opt to relieve your discomfort by removing the nerves causing your pain.
There are many signs that your filling may need to be replaced. Some of these include sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages, an uneven surface, cracking, chipping, or decay around the filling, a broken tooth again, shifting of a tooth's position, or a change in the color of a tooth after it has been filled.
It is possible to suffer nerve injury through dental work; this can be after an injection for anaesthesia, tooth replacement, crowns or after a tooth extraction (see Wisdom Teeth). There are two main nerves in the mouth that can be susceptible to damage these are the lingual nerve and the inferior alveolar nerve.
An Irritated Nerve
Sometimes the filling can come close to the nerve ending and cause some irritation. However, as the tooth heals, the throbbing pain and sensitivity will slowly go away.
Usually, the tooth's outer layers — the enamel and cementum — protect the nerve from exposure. But fillings, especially deep ones, can get close to the nerve endings and cause irritation and uncomfortable sensations. As the nerve heals, the sensitivity will go away. This may take a few days or weeks.
While filling material is different than natural enamel and may feel unusual until you get used to it, it shouldn't feel rough or sharp when you touch it with either your finger or tongue.
The nerves (alveolar and lingual) supplying sensation to the tongue, lower lip and chin, may be injured as a result of surgical treatments to the mouth and face, including surgery to remove lower wisdom teeth. The vast majority (90%) of these injuries are temporary and get better within eight weeks.
Killing the nerve is how we commonly referred to a dental treatment actually called root canal treatment, this is nothing more than the removal of the damaged nerve inside the tooth, the cleaning and disinfection of the ducts that contains them and the sealing of them with an inert and biocompatible material.
If you have been injured after seeing a dentist, you may wonder if you can sue for medical negligence. The short answer is yes.
Nerve damage is one of the most common injuries made by dentists, and it can be extremely painful and damaging. Whether or not you've suffered a dental injury, arm yourself against dental malpractice and discover common types of dental nerve damage, how they're caused, and what you can do.
Tooth pain and sensitivity could indicate that you need a filling or a root canal. If the pain is persistent and strong, or if your teeth feel particularly weak, it is likely that your tooth's pulp is damaged and that you will need a root canal.
If the decay reaches your tooth's main structure, called dentin, then a filling can replace the lost tooth structure after your dentist has cleaned the cavity of bacteria and infection. However, if it reaches the tooth's center chamber, called the pulp, a filling may no longer suffice to address it.
Besides the appearance of your filling, another possible sign that a filling needs to be replaced is tooth pain. This can take the form of general, constant tooth pain and soreness, as well as sudden, deep tooth pain associated with tooth sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet.
It's relatively common for you to have some pain or sensitivity in the treated tooth after a filling. After all, a dentist was just poking around and drilling in the tooth. Usually, any discomfort should fade after a day or two.
While the majority of cavity fillings stop being sensitive after a day or two, some could take as much as two weeks to feel better. Even then, it may not be a cause for concern. If a cavity was deep or in a location used for heavy chewing, it might take longer to heal.