“About six months ago I went to the dentist and he did some kind of drilling. He put a [filling] behind my tooth in the front row on the bottom.   After getting the drilling done, I couldn’t eat or drink anything! It hurt so bad. A month later the pain was basically gone. It’s starting to come back again. But even worse[than before]. I don’t want to go through anything painful, (filling, etc,.) The tooth mostly hurts on the top and whenever I drink cold milk or hot coffee. Or eat something hot or cold. I am totally scared of the dentist. I have got a filling before, they numbed me and stuff, but it still hurt! I DON’T WANT TO GET ANOTHER ONE  HELP ME!”

Answer:

There are several reasons why dental drilling may be necessary. These include:

• Dental drilling to remove decay and then place a filling in that area
• Dental drilling to prepare a tooth or teeth for a cap (crown)
• Dental drilling to clean and fill the pulp if a tooth needs root canal therapy

The description you gave sounds like you received a front tooth filling. Sensitivity to cold sometimes indicates the beginning of tooth decay. There are two areas of a tooth that a dentist may have to go through when doing dental drilling, in order to treat your front tooth cavity. These are enamel (which is the outside area, what you see when you look at your teeth) and dentin (which is directly below the enamel). Dentin has holes in it and fluid which when disturbed carries pain sensations to the pulp (the center of the tooth that has nerves and blood vessels).

Reasons that you may have a tooth sensitive to cold include:

• A tooth with a cavity/decay. Decay that may go deep into dentin and be the cause of a tooth sensitive to cold
• Filling is close to the pulp. A filling that is placed in the area where the decay has been removed, if the decay was deep. This sometimes results in a tooth that is sensitive to cold, and may be prevented by placing a dental liner over the dentin before filling the tooth.

From the details of your question, your tooth pain that occurred after your filling may have been due to the fact that your front tooth cavity was deep and close to the pulp.

What is a Solution to Pain After a Filling?

Tooth pain after a filling is not at all uncommon, however prolonged pain may be an indication that a liner may have helped. A dental liner is a thin layer of material that a dentist places under the filling so that your tooth won’t be sensitive to temperature.  It insulates the nerve of the tooth and protects it.  It would be a good idea to get a new radiograph (x-ray) of the tooth to see if there are other issues, and have it addressed from there on.  Your dentist may choose to either re-do the filling, or if the decay is deep, perform a root canal.

Remember, don’t allow your dental fear to stop you from taking care of your oral health. No dental treatment should be painful.  If you feel any pain during a procedure, don’t hesitate to let your dentist know that you need more anesthesia.  We hope this helps you!

About six months ago I went to the dentist and he did some kind of drilling.  After getting the drilling done, I couldn’t eat or drink anything! It hurt so bad. A month later the pain was basically gone.  It’s starting to come back again. But even worse. I don’t want to go threw anything painful, (filling, etc,.) I really hope this isn’t anything bad because the tooth mostly hurts on the top and whenever I drink cold milk or hot coffee. Or eat something hot or cold. I am totally scared of the dentist. I have got a filling before, they numbed me and stuff, but it still hurt! I DON’T WANT TO GET ANOTHER ONE  HELP ME!

Answer:

Reasons for a Filling or Crown

There are several reasons why dental drilling may be necessary. These include:

• Dental drilling to remove decay and then place a filling in that area
• Dental drilling to prepare a tooth or teeth for a cap (crown)
• Dental drilling to clean and fill the pulp if a tooth or teeth need root canal therapy

The description you gave sounds like a front tooth cavity. Sensitivity to cold sometimes indicates the beginning of tooth decay. There are two areas of a tooth that a dentist may have to go through when doing dental drilling in order to treat your front tooth cavity.

These are:

• Enamel -  which is the outside area, what you see when you look at your teeth
• Dentin – located directly below the enamel.  Dentin has holes in it with fluid located inside.  When this fluid is disturbed, it carries pain sensations to the pulp (the center of the tooth that has nerves and blood vessels).  This is what happens when teeth ache (or a single pain in tooth).

Tooth Sensitivity

Reasons that you may have a tooth sensitive to cold include:

• A tooth with a cavity/decay. The decay may go deep into the dentin and be the cause of your tooth sensitivity (caries/decay is usually the main culprit when teeth ache).

• A filling that has been placed in an area of deep decay.  If the amount of caries is extensive, the drilling necessary may be more than if there were less caries. This sometimes results in a tooth that is sensitive to cold, and may be prevented by having your dentist place a dental liner over the dentin before filling the tooth.

From the details of your question, your tooth pain that occurred after your filling may have been due to the fact that your front tooth cavity was deep and close to the pulp. Tooth pain after a filling is not at all uncommon, however prolonged tooth pain may be an indication that a liner may have helped. It would be a good idea to get a new radiograph (x-ray) of the tooth to see if there are other issues, and have it addressed from that point.

Also, do not hesitate to let your dentist know if the filling hurts during the procedure.  You should be completely anesthetized and should not feel anything.  You run the show, and you can stop if necessary.

Remember, don’t allow your dental fear to stop you from taking care of your oral health.

We hope this helps you!

So why floss your teeth?

• Mouthwash and a toothbrush can’t reach every surface of your teeth! Flossing removes the food buildup and bacteria that is located between your teeth.
• Most cavities arise from bacteria located between the teeth – This area is often overlooked. Many feel that if they can’t see it, then it isn’t a problem. However, if given the chance, microscopic bacteria can and will accumulate and begin the demineralization process of enamel slowly leading to cavities, pain, and bacterial invasion.
• You don’t want bleeding gums do you? – Bleeding gums is a sign of inflammation! If you don’t floss regularly, you can expect some minor bleeding when you start out. But don’t quit. Bleeding gums indicates gingivitis, and even worse periodontitis. If severe enough, this will lead to recession of the gums and loose teeth. Flossing removes irritating bacteria from being allowed to infiltrate your gums and cause infection.

Proper steps to flossing

• Start off with a long strand of floss (around 15 inches or so) and wrap it around each middle finger
• Use your index finger to guide the floss between your teeth
• Once the strand of floss is between your teeth, follow the curvature of each tooth in an up and down motion about 2-3 times. Don’t be afraid to push the floss under the gums, this is a critical area that needs to be cleaned.
• Remove floss and repeat with each tooth, making sure to use a clean section of the floss each time.

How often should I floss?

It’s best to floss a minimum of once a day

I tried to floss and my gums started bleeding, should I stop?  Is something wrong?

Do not stop.  This is a sign of inflammation and indicates that you haven’t flossed in awhile.  Continue to floss everyday and the bleeding will stop.

Have more questions?  Feel free to leave a commit or submit a question to be included in our FAQ’s.

Happy Flossing!