Gum pain between two teeth when chewing, X-ray attached

[Mukros]

Hello. For the last 6 weeks I've been having moderate pain between two molars when and after eating, especially something hard. Food gets visibly stuck between these two particular teeth, it doesn't happen anywhere else, and when I try to floss I have a feeling that I just push it deeper. In fact, I even managed to dig out food from under the gum a few times.

The problem started when I went to have my teeth cleaned, I hadn't experienced any pain before. My dentist insists that cleaning couldn't do it and it just "happened naturally somehow". He says that now I either have to try to floss food out every time, go for a filling replacement, or cover these teeth with crowns.

Can I have your opinions? Is it possible to fix it with proper hygiene, or there is no choice but to replace a filling? Thank you.

 

[Dr M]

Good day

It looks like you have a food trap in between the two teeth, that can lead to gum inflammation and swelling if something gets stuck. Unfortunately, the only way the food trap can be closed is either with replacing the fillings with new fillings with tighter contacts, or to crown both teeth. I would consider crowns if possible, due to the teeth being root canal treated.
Normal oral hygiene habits are not a guarantee that food won't get lodged in this space, an if it isn't cleaned out regularly, it can lead to future cavity formation, or even bone loss in between the teeth due to constant inflammation.

 

[Mukros]

Thanks for the fast reply. Is it true that redone fillings will be more likely to crack with time?

 

[Dr M]

No this is not true. Both your teeth have had root canal treatments on. This means they are actually "dead" teeth and can become brittle over time, which can increase the risk of fracture. Even more so since this is molars that you use to chew with.