Hello,
I had a composite filling done 3 months ago and my general dentist told me that the filling was "deep" and close to the nerve and would be "sensitive" for a while. He never told me I might need a root canal, or that there would be complications afterward.
3 months later, the tooth is still sensitive to cold (not hot), and if I bite down on a hard food, it hurts. Otherwise, no other symptoms (swelling, pain, etc.). When I went in for my routine cleaning, the dentist tells me that because my tooth is still sensitive, it needs a root canal. Is this definite? He looked on the X ray and saw that the filling is large and touching the tooth nerve. But the nerve isn't necessarily infected, is it? Does this mean that I definitely need a root canal? IT doesn't make a lot of sense to me to do such a major procedure when the nerve/pulp isn't infected. What happens if I don't get a root canal? I don't trust my dentist 100%, either.... Could I get a sedative filling put in to calm the nerve, or replace the current filling? Or... could I just wait a while longer to see if the nerve settles? I just want a second opinion.
I had a composite filling done 3 months ago and my general dentist told me that the filling was "deep" and close to the nerve and would be "sensitive" for a while. He never told me I might need a root canal, or that there would be complications afterward.
3 months later, the tooth is still sensitive to cold (not hot), and if I bite down on a hard food, it hurts. Otherwise, no other symptoms (swelling, pain, etc.). When I went in for my routine cleaning, the dentist tells me that because my tooth is still sensitive, it needs a root canal. Is this definite? He looked on the X ray and saw that the filling is large and touching the tooth nerve. But the nerve isn't necessarily infected, is it? Does this mean that I definitely need a root canal? IT doesn't make a lot of sense to me to do such a major procedure when the nerve/pulp isn't infected. What happens if I don't get a root canal? I don't trust my dentist 100%, either.... Could I get a sedative filling put in to calm the nerve, or replace the current filling? Or... could I just wait a while longer to see if the nerve settles? I just want a second opinion.