Tooth Is More
Sensitive To Hot & Cold:
Increased
sensitivity following having a tooth filled is normal. If the
filling isn't large, the sensitivity will decrease after several
weeks. If the filled tooth had been extensively decayed
necessitating a fairly large filling, the sensitivity could last several
months. For the first several days following the filling, some
Dentists recommend that you try taking an over-the-counter pain
medication, such as ibuprofen. Do NOT place an aspirin on your tooth
or gum, because aspirin is an acid and can cause burns. In
the event your pain persists, call
your Dentist.
Eating
After A Tooth Filling:
You
can eat 30 minutes after the anesthesia wears off. If you attempt to
eat sooner, you risk biting your jaw or tongue. It is advisable to
avoid chewing on the side where silver fillings were placed for at least
two hours to provide the fillings an opportunity to harden.
Silver
vs White Fillings:
If
white fillings are strongly preferred and your dentist does not or will
not use them, you might want to seek a second opinion.
Why
Not Exclusively Use Silver Fillings:
Although
insurance programs provide for higher
costs of silver fillings, tooth-colored materials may serve you better.
Because a tooth-colored filling material can be bonded onto a decayed
tooth, there is less need to cut away healthy parts of a tooth to make the
filling stay in place. Only a specific area of the tooth that is
decayed will be removed and then the filling, which is very adaptable to
small and irregularly shaped defects in the tooth, is bonded onto the
tooth. A silver filling, on the other hand, usually requires that
the tooth be prepared so it has the precise shape and size needed to hold
the filling material. Since a silver filling cannot bond to a tooth,
solid tooth structure is usually sacrificed to make the filling remain in
place. It is not desirable to cut away healthy parts of a tooth that
is expected to last for 60-80 years, or longer. Thus, your choice of
filling materials will have long-term consequences.
Fillings
& Alzheimer's Disease:
In
a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association,
researchers at the University of Kentucky found that there was no
connection between Alzheimer's disease and the mercury used in dental
fillings.
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