Why Does My New Filling Feel Weird?
There can be a couple of different reasons why a new filling will feel weird to you…
You’re not used to it…
When get a new filling (or crown, denture, bridge, etc) a lot of times your tongue will go right to it and you get that feeling that something doesn’t feel quite right! Why does this happen and will it go away? At the most basic level, your brain tends to notice when things are different. This is why when you are in a hot shower or hot tub, you initially notice it feels really hot but that sensation slowly fades. It’s not that the temperature has changed, it’s that your brain senses that it is a constant and unchanging stimulus and stops paying attention to it.
It’s the same exact thing in your mouth. Everything that is in there, as long as it doesn’t change, doesn’t warrant your brain paying attention to it for the most part. Once something changes it’s easy to rub your tongue around and notice that it doesn’t feel right. Usually the real problem is that it just feels new. Your existing teeth actually have a lot of “sharp edges that you simply don’t notice because they’ve always been like that.
Usually it takes a couple of days for your brain to adjust to something new in your mouth. Try to avoid playing with it with your tongue as this will prolong the process, especially if you cause some irritation on your tongue. If after a couple of days, you’re still having problems then you may need an adjustment with your dentist. Which brings us to…
Your bite may be off…
When your dentist places a filling they’ll usually check your bite at the very end with a piece of marking paper. Since you’re numb it can be difficult to tell if you’re biting in the right place, biting down at all, or if something feels slightly off. If the filling is left slightly high in any direction, it can make your tooth feel weird or painful. This sensation can range from a very slight feeling of discomfort, to pain while biting, to severe sensitivity to hot and cold. It usually starts out as a “not right” feeling and gets slowly worse over the next couple of days as you bite and chew with it. This sensation usually won’t go away until your dentist adjusts the filling.
The nerve of the tooth is irritated…
Anytime a tooth is drilled on it causes some irritation to the nerve. This irritation can also cause the tooth to feel weird. Some people experience sensitivity to hot and cold afterwards while others experience mild throbbing or pressure in the tooth. Most of the time this goes away within a couple of weeks after having the fillings placed.
If you have severe throbbing pain or severe sensitivity to hot and cold that lasts for several minutes the nerve of the tooth may be irritated beyond repair. In these situations you would need a root canal. Check out our article on how to know if you need a root canal for more information on that topic.
The bond from the filling to the tooth didn’t set up correctly…
This is a pretty rare one but once all the previous reasons have been excluded, your dentist might suspect that the bond to the tooth didn’t set up correctly. White fillings are chemically bonded to your tooth and this bond is very sensitive to the presence of any blood or saliva that is on the tooth. If a got a little contaminated during the process and the bond doesn’t set up correctly then you can have some very strange sensations. Usually there is some sensitivity along with that “something doesn’t feel right” sensation. The only way to fix this is to replace the filling.
Crowns and dentures are a bit of special case…
Crowns can also create some strange sensations due to how they are usually made. You are usually placed in a temporary crown for a couple of weeks prior to having your permanent crown put in. This temporary crown is made of a softer material than your permanent crown is and your brain gets used to biting on this softer surface that has some more “give” to it than a permanent porcelain crown. When that hard porcelain crown goes in, a lot of people struggle with that new sensation for a couple of days. In addition to that new texture and feel, a crown will also make your bite feel slightly different because of the change in materials. Usually you should give yourself about 2-3 days to adjust and if your bite still feels off at that point then have your dentist adjust the bite to a more balanced state.
Dentures are another special case because there is so much new that is happening in your mouth! I find that it takes at least two weeks to get used to a new denture. If you do develop sore spots that are painful or the bite is way off, don’t wait that long. Those areas need to be adjusted before you’ll be able to get used to the feel of the denture.
