can an inflammed nerve or pulp from new filling be calmed down with new filling and recover?

Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
15
I had new filling done 8 weeks ago. During that time I have dealt with tons of pain then the pain got better after 4 weeks but has had a constant pressure feeling since day one of filling. the endodontist wants to do root canal. She says nerve is inflammed but it is not infected. So can a new filling actually calm the nerve and could it recover? The endodontist says once the nerve is inflammed is usually cant recover. I had a composite filling done on top of amalagam filling. Now i am wondering if I have the old composite filling removed and have an amalgam put in, could that calm the tooth down and recover?
I am asking because the filling is not near the nerve and it is an average filling but is causing all this havoc. I dont have money for root canal plus I had wisdom teeth surgery 3 months ago and dont want to go through so much stuff. Any dentist out there that can respond to this.
 
Joined
Aug 15, 2014
Messages
3
Dear tlcha


When a tooth has a “cavity” it really means there is bacteria inside the tooth. Once the bacteria get past the enamel part of the tooth the body has no way of naturally getting the bacteria out. The bacteria will keep eating until they eventually reach the nerve of your tooth. Dentists combat this infectious spread by using a small drill to remove the infection and then fill the hole with either composite or amalgam. Any time a Dentist works on a tooth there are risks associated with treatment. The risk is usually low around 1% that treatment can result in a “complication.”


To fully answer your question I will explain a little bit of the anatomy of a tooth. A tooth is composed of three parts, the enamel (hardest substance in the body), the dentin (similar to bone) and the pulp (nerve of the tooth). The pulp is the part that supplies blood and nutrients to the cells inside our teeth. In a normal tooth this nerve helps us detect hot and cold, as well as provide sensory information so that we don't bite down on something hard such as a rock and break our teeth. The nerve is a relatively large space inside the tooth, but the only way blood and nutrients are allowed into a tooth is through a tiny hole at the very end of the tooth called the "apical foramen." In a normal tooth there is a tiny artery and a tiny vein that travel through this tiny hole and supply everything the tooth needs for survival.


If you hurt yourself (such as a cut) your body will release signals to other cells calling for help. These cells will rush to the site and cause inflammation and swelling. This inflammation is a good thing because it normally helps your body repair itself faster. The problem is it has an opposite effect in a tooth.


When a tooth gets hurt it sends out the same call for help. The problem is that tiny hole we talked about earlier called the “apical foramen.” As the pulp of the tooth becomes inflamed it builds up pressure inside the tooth. This pressure cuts off the blood supply at the tiny hole strangling the tooth. Once the tooth loses blood supply it’s only a matter of time before it dies.


What happened in your situation?

The Dentist removed your amalgam filling and replaced it with a composite filling. During this process your pulp became inflamed which cut the blood supply to the tooth. Right now your tooth is in the process of dying and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. You could put amalgam back in, but it would more than likely accelerate this process. Once the tooth dies it will stop hurting, but at any time it could abscess and cause potentially life threatening issues. My recommendation would be to get the root canal and avoid further pain.


Sorry for the bad news…

Dr. Steve
 

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Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
7
Did you see your dentist for bite adjustment? Most common pain after composite restorations are from a high restoration that once adjusted has a great chance to calm down. I have had many recently filled teeth calm down after one or two bite adjustments, but depending on the size of the filling, or presence of cracks a root canal can also be possible, however I would first check the bite and occlusion.
Dr. M
 
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