Common symptoms
- • Short, sharp sensitivity to cold that settles within seconds
- • Tenderness when biting on the filled tooth
- • A feeling that the tooth is 'high' or hits first when you close
- • A dull ache for a few days after the appointment
- • Lingering throbbing after hot or cold, which is less typical
Likely causes
- • Normal inflammation of the nerve after the cavity was cleaned out
- • A filling that is very slightly too high on the bite
- • Deep decay that was close to the nerve before treatment
- • A gap or leak at the edge of a new or older filling
- • Clenching or grinding putting extra load on the tooth
What can help tonight
- • Chew on the other side for a few days
- • Use a sensitivity toothpaste, rubbed onto the tooth at night
- • Take pain relief as directed on the packet if you need it
- • Avoid very hot, very cold and hard foods while it settles
- • Note whether pain is brief or lingers — it helps your dentist
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Always follow the advice given to you by your dentist.
When it's an emergency
- • Facial swelling spreading towards your eye or neck
- • Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- • Severe unrelenting pain with fever and feeling very unwell
If any of these apply to you, call 999 or attend A&E now. Outside these signs, NHS 111 can advise out of hours.
What a ToothAid dentist can do online
A dentist can help you tell normal post-treatment sensitivity from a problem that needs attention, by asking how the pain behaves. They can advise on relief and on whether the bite or the nerve is the more likely cause.
What needs in-person treatment
If the filling needs adjusting, replacing, or the nerve has become irreversibly inflamed, you need an in-person appointment. Contact the practice that placed the filling first — reviews of recent treatment are usually arranged without charge.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a tooth be sensitive after a filling?
Mild sensitivity commonly lasts a few days to a few weeks and gradually improves. Pain that is getting worse after two weeks should be reviewed.
Why does it hurt when I bite down?
Most often the filling is fractionally too high. A quick adjustment by your dentist usually resolves it.
Does pain after a filling mean I need root canal treatment?
Not usually. But pain that lingers for more than a few seconds after hot or cold, or wakes you at night, can suggest the nerve is irreversibly inflamed.
Should I go back to the dentist who did the filling?
Yes, where possible. They know exactly what was done and can adjust or review the tooth.