How Painful is Getting a Cavity Filled?

Cavity Filling: Pain Level, Recovery & Care Tips

Cavity filling helps to repair damage and tooth cavities and fix minor cracks or chips in teeth. It reduces extreme pain and eliminates infection in teeth. During the cavity filling procedure, dentists remove dental holes and restore the natural shape of teeth to achieve more comfortable and healthier oral health.

Well, the cavity-filling procedure is not deep enough to reach the nerve end area of the tooth. So, generally, cavity filling can be painless.

Signs and Symptoms as a Warning of Cavity Filling  

Cavity spreads slowly without causing pain, so be alert to such warning signs and symptoms. Let the dentist inform and perform cavity filling.

• Visibility of Dark Spots or Holes: Visible indication of caries or decay leads to blackish or discolouration of tooth surfaces, warning about damaged teeth.
• Tooth Sensitivity: Extreme discomfort or pain arises while eating sweet, cold, and hot foods.  
• Unpleasant taste and Bad Smell: Damage to teeth and bacterial infection cause unpleasant taste and bad breath from the mouth.
• Discomfort While Chewing: Sensitivity or pain during eating.
• Food Lodgement: People with dental cavities or damage always experience food getting stuck in their internal canals while eating.

Measure the Pain of Cavity Filling

Cavity filling is not painful since the dentist tends to numb the area. During the filling procedure, they use local gel and inject anaesthesia so patients may feel a sting. Anaesthesia starts to react and blocks nerves to stop sensation, which helps to sense pain. When nerves stop functioning and the dentist cannot sense the feeling, the dentist starts a cavity filling procedure.

The entire process takes only 20 to 45 minutes, which includes drilling the decayed area of the tooth. In addition, replacing it with a tooth-coloured filling preserves the remaining natural tooth. When anaesthesia starts reacting after filling, you may face temporary mild pain or discomfort and recover within a week.  

Common Variations of Cavity Filling

There are many varieties of activity-filled options available, such as:

• Composite Resin: This material helps to restore tooth colour, such as the natural look of teeth. Most patients are now choosing composite resins made from polished glass and acrylic resin as filling material.  
• Amalgam: This silvery grey coloured filling is made of multiple metals, including silver, mercury, tin, and copper. Generally, dentists do not recommend this filling material for environmental concerns.
• Ceramic: Durable and aesthetic material, but expensive. It matches the natural colour of the tooth and makes the filling less noticeable compared to a filling with silver amalgam. This filling material is durable and resistant to abrasion and staining.  
• Gold: Long-lasting and visible dental restoration, but costly. This cavity filling material is biocompatible and has longevity.
• Glass Ionomer Cement: This type of popular filling material, such as cement, releases fluoride. It helps to reduce further infection or decay of the primary teeth. The dentist uses this as a temporary filling variation.

Manage Discomfort After Cavity Filling Procedure

After getting a cavity filled, it is pretty common to feel a bit of discomfort. Here are some tips to help you manage that sensitivity:

• To avoid irritating feelings, try to refrain from hot and cold drinks for the first day after a dental filling, which triggers tooth sensitivity.
• To prevent accidental bites while eating, choose liquid soft foods instead of processed hard foods.
• Use desensitising toothpaste to alleviate discomfort for the first few days.
• Don't touch and move your teeth with your tongue; otherwise, it will crack.

Benefits of Cavity Filling

Cavity filling reduces the risk of future tooth damage by treating existing decay or damage. Possible benefits of dental filling are:

• Strengthening of weak teeth.
• Restore the normal shape of teeth.
• Betterment of chewing function.
• The filing treatment effect lasts for 10 to 20 years.
• Remove teeth discolouration and enhance appearance.

Canal filling is painless because doctors inject anaesthesia to temporarily block nerve functioning. It numbs the area and stops the functioning of any scenes during the canal filling process, including drilling and replacing decayed areas with filling material. After completion of the filling process, patients experience pain, chewing issues, and sensitivity to cold and hot foods and drinks.