Free Dental Directory of Diseases, Aliments and Solutions

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.

2001 All Rights Reserved