Off-Topic Dentist / tooth sensitivity / fillings - advice?

[ebianco]

Totally off topic, but I am looking for advice - any and all advice appreciated!! Sorry for the long story!

Background:

I've been seeing a dentist regularly for about 7-8 years. Pros, he's done work on my teeth (various fillings) and I've never had any problems. Cons, his office is about 45+ minutes away, it used to be closer but I moved in the last year. Also, he's not particularly friendly but he's not rude either.

My husband discovered a dentist he LOVES that is about 10 minutes away from us. The dentist has done work on his teeth (crowns) and he was happy with the work. So when I complained about the traffic for my upcoming 6 month cleaning, he insisted I should just try the new dentist. I figured if I could find a new dentist I liked that was much closer, it could save me some time/traffic aggravation.

Situation:

About 6 weeks ago at I had my cleaning at the new dentist and it went great. I liked the office, the hygienist, and the dentist was VERY personable. No cavities however he said I had a filling that needed to be replaced. I didn't feel any pain with the tooth but you don't tend to (something I hate about dentistry and fixing things that aren't broken, but I digress) so I took his suggestion and had it redone the next week. I had more pain than usual after the filling but I've read online that pain can last a few weeks...I gave it three weeks and it was feeling worse so I went back in. They adjusted the bite and it did help, and they noted I have gum recession on that tooth which is causing sensitivity. They took x-rays and said the filling looked okay. The day that he fixed my bite, I felt initial relief and could chew with comfort. However, as far as my sensitivity, it hasn't really continued to improve. I feel it the second I wake up, it doesn't make me cringe but it is felt every minute of the day. They told me to let sensodyne toothpaste sit on it overnight (it's one of my top left molars) but I don't feel like that's helped.

I asked during that visit how long it would take to feel better or when I should come back in if I'm still feeling pain. The dentist was surprisingly dismissive (after my great first experience with him) and said it could take weeks or longer. I'm reading online that if the sensitivity continues I will need to have it fixed AGAIN or else have a root canal. I asked him about next steps if I still felt pain and he just said let's wait and see.

Now I am really resentful and feel like I should have stayed with my old dentist. I'm tempted to go back to dentist #1 and have him evaluate/fix my tooth. But I feel like it would be embarrassing to admit I switched dentists to save 30 minutes of a drive Especially because I continued to see him for the last year since I moved, so it's not like it just happened. Also, maybe I should have faith that (1) my tooth may improve eventually and/or (2) I should try to stick with dentist #2. I would be more confident that my tooth would improve except I don't feel a positive trend (maybe even a negative trend over the past day?), the bite is better but the sensitivity is really persistent.

Has anyone ever had major sensitivity after having a filling, and it got better even after a few weeks? Or had a root canal or a second re-do of a filling after a filling went awry? Or switched dentists then decided to go back? I don't know if that happens all the time or what I should do.

Anyway I'd appreciate any thoughts or insight!

[margaux]

my experience was that if the new filling was too close to the nerve, the tooth sensitivity would be the permanent result. My dentist then suggested I have a root canal to save the tooth, which I did. Later, the tooth began to bother me. Dentist suggested I have a "re-root canal" to clean our the roots and put new material in the tooth. I had that done, but the process to remove the old material from original root canal created so much pressure on the tooth that as soon as the novocaine wore off, I was in extreme pain. The re-root canal actually made a hairline fracture in the tooth! So after paying for 2 root canals, I had to have the tooth pulled and then undergo an implant and the a crown on the implant. A lot of money in addition to undergoing the process!! Sorry but I am not a fan of re-doing a root canal!!

[horsemom2]

We go to a great dentist not in our insurance plan and rather pay him then find a new one who accepts our insurance.
He has replaced a few older fillings with no problem.

Before him, I had an end molar with root canal. He replaced the crown when the first crown broke. The gum under the crown had a flap that kept trapping food and developing a painful inflammation so I finally decided to have it removed even though a periodontist may have resolved the problem. I had enough pain and expense because of that tooth and my dentist thought extraction was the simplest solution.
Wish I had it extracted before the root canal and first crown.
I chew fine and do not miss it.

I do have some nasty sensitivities and found Sensodyne Rapid Relief my go to toothpaste when the sensitivities erupt.
When a tooth really whines, I use clove oil which usually stops the pain.



Barb S

[dianestjohn]

I'm so sorry you're going through this and hope it gets resolved one way or the other. I just want to recommend a mouthwash for sensitive teeth, Lumineux (Oral Essentials) mouthwash for sensitive teeth (you can find on Amazon); it was the only thing that really helped my sensitive teeth (other toothpastes, dentist treatments, etc. would help a little, or for a while, or off and on); after using it and the toothpaste by the same company for about 2 weeks I got complete relief from the pain and sensitivity. It's all natural and does not use the chemicals found in other anti-sensitivity tooth products. I used it for about a month, stopped using it, and now about 2 months later the sensitivity is starting to creep back, so I am going to get back on the bandwagon. Anyhow, hope this helps, and hope you feel better.

[BunnyHop]

I'd go back to your old dentist and see if they can help figure out what to do.
You shouldn't be living with this much discomfort.

The fact that this new one is dismissive is not a good sign.


I hope you're feeling better soon.

[carly]

I'm one of those people that it takes months after a dental procedure for the nerves surrounding a tooth to settle down. I wear a night guard for grinding and clenching. I find that any tooth discomfort causes me to clench more during sleep and the clenching makes the discomfort worse by irritating the nerve more.

You may want to give it some more time.

On a positive note, your new dentist is not trying to rush into more expensive dental work.

[Lauracat]

I had a deep filling redone on a back molar a few months ago. It was fine for a while and then began bothering me when I chewed on that side. Told my dentist at my next cleaning, and he poked around a bit and said the filling looked solid. Fast forward to last month, when I got throbbing pain in the tooth followed by alarming swelling in my face (all while my dentist was away and unreachable, but that's another story, which has led me to look for another dentist).

So, I had an emergency root canal and will be getting a crown. As Margaux experienced, the filling was too close to the nerve and was gradually irritating/destroying it. Just a vote in favor of trusting your gut and getting another opinion if the tooth doesn't feel right.

Edited to add - I just remembered that years ago I had the opposite experience, where a filling was sensitive, I opted not to get a root canal (it wasn't infected), and eventually the sensitivity did disappear. The difference was that I felt the sensitivity was very gradually improving on its own.

[JackieB]

I have had major dental work done...a few years ago a big cavity from the childhood replaced and it was at least a month of taking ibuprofen.

This summer, both my husband and I had work done and both of us had pain and sensitivity for more than a month. I was researching and freaking out a bit....not wanting a root canal, etc. I was taking ibuprofen on a regular basis.

I think the older you get and the larger the fillings...it just takes time to recover. Trauma to the tooth and the injection site, etc.

I'd give it a little more time...honestly a month or more. If it's still bothering you, go back to the dentist.

I hear you on the dental issues. Hate it.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by ebianco

No cavities however he said I had a filling that needed to be replaced. I didn't feel any pain with the tooth but you don't tend to (something I hate about dentistry and fixing things that aren't broken, but I digress) so I took his suggestion and had it redone the next week.

my former dentist was like this. she would literally LOOK for opportunities in my x-rays. she was a gold digger, for sure, knowing i had dual coverage.

i had a tooth that had an old filling in it. she claimed there was a fault in it that needed to be replaced. it was a small molar on the bottom that had never ever given me pain or trouble. well, i agreed to let her replace it. unfortunately, she caused a food trap between that tooth and its neighbor. for months i was suffering from food always getting stuck in there. finally i complained and said it all started when she changed the filling!

she shored up the tooth with the filling in it for free.

would you believe she kept "warning" me about some other molar on the top that looked to have another fault in it that needed work?

i changed dentists, and he has never said anything about that tooth, and i have no pain.

so yeah, don't fix something that's not broken. lesson learned.

the former dentist also had high turnover of staff, and her billing system was crappy.

[ebianco]

Thank you all for your input!! Well, I found some "remineralization" gel on Amazon (this one: https://www.amazon.com/Remineralizat...neralizing+gel), basically a fluoride gel, and have been using it once a day at night and it has actually REALLY helped with my tooth sensitivity. Even after one treatment I felt much better, and I've had about 4 treatments now and I'm continuing to improve. And it's cheap too. I am not 100% but I would say I'm about 90%. So now I feel more positive that the sensitivity will eventually go away.

This is a lesson learned to me though that I'm not going to jump into work just because the dentist says so, especially in this case where they said there wasn't even a cavity. I guess I'm going to try sticking with the new dentist for a while.

I do have really good dental insurance, and it gave me pause what bzar said about them maximizing on that. They insisted I grind my teeth (I've never been told this before) so I chalked up $200 out of pocket for a $600 mouth guard. I have finally gotten used to wearing it although I don't really feel a difference. They didn't charge me on my follow up visit (after I was experiencing pain) for the x-rays or visit and like carly said, at least he's not trying to jump into more work to be done.

dianestjohn I had come across your recommendation for Lumineux mouthwash on Amazon and purchased some of that too, in fact it arrived this morning, so I'll get to give it a try starting this evening. Maybe between both products it will bump me up to 100%.

Anyway thanks again everyone for your input. It is really interesting and mind opening to hear about so many different experiences.