Two years ago, I discovered I had a small gum line cavity behind the back molar on the lower, left-hand side of my mouth. Apparently, when I had an impacted wisdom tooth removed years earlier, a tiny piece of my jaw was removed, creating a pocket in my gum where the cavity formed.
The dentist told me I needed an amalgam filling, due to the high-moisture content of the area, and that, in spite of the location, it would not be very difficult to treat.
I had no problems with it, up until a few months ago when I noticed a faint odor when I flossed the area. I went back to the dentist, who after taking an x-ray, told me there was recurrent decay behind the filling. He told me that there wasn't significant decay, and that it was nowhere near the root. He removed the old filling, drilled my tooth further and put a new filling in, a small portion of which extended below the gum line. He told me that gum injuries heal very quickly, and to take Advil for any pain.
I had no pain, but two days later, I developed a bad taste in my mouth. Concerned I had an infection, I took antibiotics, and called the dental office when they opened. I was told that the bad taste was due to natural healing, but to continue with the antibiotics, if I wanted to.
After three weeks, when the problem persisted, I was told to come back in for a re-check. An x-ray showed that the portion of the flling below my gum line was stuck in my gum tissue, rather than contoured against my tooth. I was told that my gum was bloody and irritated, and the errant filling piece created a bacterial trap, which was causing the bad taste. I was also told that the x-ray showed no problem with the filling itself.
The dentist then proceeded to peel back the gum tissue covering this piece of filling. He said he used a filer to shape the filling to my tooth, and did not do any further drilling. The hygienist cleaned the area afterwards with a hydroponic water pik. They took several x-rays, said it was okay, and that my gum should heal quickly.
This was ten days ago. Since then, I've been brushing and flossing gently, taking ibuprofen, doing saltwater rinses after every meal, eating mostly soft foods and chewing on the opposite side of my mouth. However, I still have a bad taste in my mouth, which seems worse after I brush my teeth in the morning. Some days it seems a little better, but the next day, it seems to return. I would describe it as a stale taste, and my mouth doesn't feel clean. It doesn't seem to be coming from the filling.
I've never had a problem with food getting stuck back there before or with being able to keep the area clean. I've also never had any kind of issues with my gums, wound healing or bad breath before. I've used a dental mirror to try and look at the area. It looks clean, and I don't see or taste blood, but I think some swelling remains.
This has been causing me a lot of stress, and I'd appreciate any input on what could be causing this, if there's anything else I could do to treat the area, and the timeline for when I should expect it to heal and/or when I should consider going back to the dentist.
The dentist told me I needed an amalgam filling, due to the high-moisture content of the area, and that, in spite of the location, it would not be very difficult to treat.
I had no problems with it, up until a few months ago when I noticed a faint odor when I flossed the area. I went back to the dentist, who after taking an x-ray, told me there was recurrent decay behind the filling. He told me that there wasn't significant decay, and that it was nowhere near the root. He removed the old filling, drilled my tooth further and put a new filling in, a small portion of which extended below the gum line. He told me that gum injuries heal very quickly, and to take Advil for any pain.
I had no pain, but two days later, I developed a bad taste in my mouth. Concerned I had an infection, I took antibiotics, and called the dental office when they opened. I was told that the bad taste was due to natural healing, but to continue with the antibiotics, if I wanted to.
After three weeks, when the problem persisted, I was told to come back in for a re-check. An x-ray showed that the portion of the flling below my gum line was stuck in my gum tissue, rather than contoured against my tooth. I was told that my gum was bloody and irritated, and the errant filling piece created a bacterial trap, which was causing the bad taste. I was also told that the x-ray showed no problem with the filling itself.
The dentist then proceeded to peel back the gum tissue covering this piece of filling. He said he used a filer to shape the filling to my tooth, and did not do any further drilling. The hygienist cleaned the area afterwards with a hydroponic water pik. They took several x-rays, said it was okay, and that my gum should heal quickly.
This was ten days ago. Since then, I've been brushing and flossing gently, taking ibuprofen, doing saltwater rinses after every meal, eating mostly soft foods and chewing on the opposite side of my mouth. However, I still have a bad taste in my mouth, which seems worse after I brush my teeth in the morning. Some days it seems a little better, but the next day, it seems to return. I would describe it as a stale taste, and my mouth doesn't feel clean. It doesn't seem to be coming from the filling.
I've never had a problem with food getting stuck back there before or with being able to keep the area clean. I've also never had any kind of issues with my gums, wound healing or bad breath before. I've used a dental mirror to try and look at the area. It looks clean, and I don't see or taste blood, but I think some swelling remains.
This has been causing me a lot of stress, and I'd appreciate any input on what could be causing this, if there's anything else I could do to treat the area, and the timeline for when I should expect it to heal and/or when I should consider going back to the dentist.
