Sensitivity and Pain 8 weeks after filling

[Gabby]

I’ve had a filling on my wisdom tooth over 8 weeks ago. I have been in pain ever since (had no pain before the filling was done). I went back to my dentist last Wednesday and he said it’s just sensitivity following the filling and it should get better within couple of weeks. I asked him if this tooth need root canal and he said no. I had many filings done in the past but never been in pain after for more than few days. I have notice that the composite filling has grey area ( I have noticed that at the time straight after the filling was done but didn’t think much of it at the time and he don’t raise any concerns ether ). Could this be a reason for the pain? It’s very difficult to take a good image of that tooth but I have attached the best one I could take , it is very blurry but can see the dark/ grey area. I feel like this sensitivity to cold liquids/ air is slowly turning to a toothache. Does the grey area mean that there is something going on underneath the filling? That the filling haven’t bonded properly with the tooth and bacteria gone in ? Any help would be much appreciated before I ring them back ( I don’t think I want to wait another 2 weeks as I worry I will be left with toothache over Xmas) many thanks

 

[honestdoc]

I'm not a fan of composite fillings for wisdom teeth because it is hard to isolate the bonding from contamination. I prefer modern glass ionomer restorations like Fuji Equia (US market, not sure about UK) that will bond naturally to dentin and help desensitize the nerve. I believe you may have 3 options. 1) have the dentist redo the filling. 2) root canal which will have very difficult access, 3) extract. Make sure you don't have any sinus problems such as tooth pain when you bend forward or walk up & downstairs.

 

[Gabby]

I'm not a fan of composite fillings for wisdom teeth because it is hard to isolate the bonding from contamination. I prefer modern glass ionomer restorations like Fuji Equia (US market, not sure about UK) that will bond naturally to dentin and help desensitize the nerve. I believe you may have 3 options. 1) have the dentist redo the filling. 2) root canal which will have very difficult access, 3) extract. Make sure you don't have any sinus problems such as tooth pain when you bend forward or walk up & downstairs.

Thank you for your comment, so I’m guessing you don’t think that’s just sensitivity following the procedure that will go away ?

 

[honestdoc]

Sensitivity should lessen especially after 8 to 9 weeks. I'm not a fan of posterior composites. Modern composites shrink about 1% when the dentist light cures it (polymerization shrinkage). That means there will be a microscopic gap for contamination. On x-ray there may be a black line around the composite. We won't know if the black line is pooling of extra bond, gap, or cavity. Modern bonding agents are radiopaque showing up white on x-ray now. I prefer the above material Fuji Equia. Glass ionomer naturally bonds to dentin. It also desensitizes the nerve in the root canal. I always tell my filling patients to expect cold sensitivity and not to overwhelm it with anything too cold. Newer filling materials are bioactive like Activa but I haven't worked with it yet (I don't own my clinic so I'm not able to try a lot of things until they go mainstream).