Preventing postoperative sensitivity after dental fillings

When a person damages his or her tooth and the damage is not huge, a procedure called dental filling is used in order to repair the damage. Tooth decay and slight fractures are some of the possible damages. Materials that are being used for the filling of the tooth can even be used to even out the tooth surfaces if the person has a problem with biting or chewing. There are several components that go with tooth decay and enamel loss is one of them. That loss may lead to tooth sensitivity. In most cases, the sensitivity goes away once the proper filling is used.

Nowadays, the dentists can use fillings that appear natural and are the same color as the teeth. Such a filling is called composite filling and is made from tooth-colored materials. It is because of these materials that the filling has the natural color of the teeth.

In a majority of cases a person only needs to go once to the dentist when he or she is getting a composite filling. One of the benefits of a composite filling is that not a big portion of the healthy tooth is required to be taken away in order for the filling to be held firmly in place.

Lots of people experience tooth sensitivity after the procedure and it has become a common problem although it is unpredictable. An even bigger problem occurs when there is a lot more sensitivity to the teeth that were not sensitive at all before the procedure. Even though a lot of precautions are taken, this problem continues to happen. When it happens, the dentist will usually perform the procedure again. However, in some cases, the dentist needed to perform root canal therapy because the pain was quite extreme.

Preventive methods

In time, the dentists have come up with various preventive methods that will help a person overcome the sensitivity problem. When the dentist thinks it may come to tooth sensitivity, at least two of these methods should be used in order for it to be avoided. Some of the methods include the use of self-etching primer. Other method is the usage of tooth-desensitizing solutions on the tooth before the procedure. Dentists even lay a thin resin-reinforced glass ionomer liner on deepest cavity surfaces. A person can even insert a sheet of resin-based “flowable” composite right between the tooth and the filling.

Even though the dentist sometimes recommends some other type of fillings people usually go for the composite one, despite the fact that it is more expensive than the other fillings.