Friday morning I had a cavity filled. The dentist said that it was deep and I might need a root canal if it hurts afterward. My question is: how long after will the pain appear or some other indication that I need a root canal done? It is now Monday afternoon and the tooth feels no different than before the cavity was filled (no pain or increased sensitivity, etc.). Am I in the clear?
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#1 by tif-an-e on February 16, 2010 - 9:39 am
you know, i have the same problem. the reason why your dentist said u need a root canal is because your filling is really close to your nerve. so when the filling touches the nerve you would feel pain. however, i have two fillings that are really deep (like my cavity took up my entire teeth) and my dentist said the same thing. he said this about two years ago. my advice to you is to go and get a second opinion. because so far, i have no pain. so go get a second opinion and if your second opinion says you need one, then you should get it. if he/she says no, then wait it out. however, your not in the clear, because years down the road, your going to need to redo your filling….so maybe then you would need to do the procedure.
good luck and i hope this was usefull information
#2 by Ed G on February 16, 2010 - 12:40 pm
If there is going to be a problem from a filling like that, it usually appears within a week.
As a person who has many very large fillings, I’ve been down that road. If you don’t feel anything now, the odds are in your favor that things are fine.
Most of this depends on how well your pulp ( nerves/blood vessels ) recover from trauma like a filling being that close. The dentist obviously packs the area with a material to act like a buffer between the filling and the nerve.
I have had some huge fillings that are just about at the nerve, and they have been in for 10 years without ever causing a problem ( long as you keep up with appointments and catch the small cavities before they get out of control )
However, even if things go bad for you and the pain starts suddenly – A root canal is not painful. I know some people say they hurt, but I’ve had 3 of them, never felt a thing. They are just boring to sit through because they can take a while.