Pain with Fillings
Posted by writeradmin
I had never had a cavity until my third pregnancy. I threw up every single day with that kid. I needed four dental fillings. My dentist offered both silver fillings and white fillings. I opted for the white fillings. One of them is fine, however, the rest are giving me problems. Whenever I am eating, those fillings hurt. My dentist has adjusted them and says they are fine, but they are not fine. I assumed that all dentists were good with fillings, but that has not turned out to be the case. Do you know if there is a way to get these fillings where they will not hurt?
Elaine
Dear Elaine,
The fact that your dentist was giving you a choice between the two type of fillings tells me that he or she was still fairly new at placing the white fillings. Amalgam fillings have been used since the 1800s and that is what most dentists were trained to do. The procedure for white fillings is very different than the silver amalgam fillings.
Only very recently have dental schools started including the white fillings in their curriculum. If a dentist wanted to learn how to do that, then they would have to invest in post-doctoral training. It’s possible your dentist still needs training or at least some additional practice with the composite fillings.
The fillings that are giving you pain will need to be re-done. This time, your dentist will either need to use a self-etching primer, which is newer technology or put a glass ionomer base under the filling so it does not have to bond directly to the dentin. The second option may be easier for your dentist if they do not know how to use the self-etching primers. I hope this helps you and you get some relief.
As to the cavities developing in this pregnancy. That is fairly common when you are sick throughout. Don’t beat yourself up too much. If you have another challenging pregnancy, talk to your dentist about any pregancy-safe prescriptions he can give you to help your teeth during this period. Be sure to also rinse out your mouth with water immediately after any vomitting, though I’m sure you do that already.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.