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A great many of us have been recipients of dental fillings at some point. In spite of great efforts to brush and floss and visit the dentist regularly, cavities can still happen to anyone. Do you have any recollection of the dentist putting a piece of paper in your mouth and asking you to bite down after the filling was in place? Some form of this question generally follows: “does the filling feel too high?” Your Riverside dentists at Riverside Dental Group will explain to you what a high filling is, and what to do if yours is set further up than is comfortable.

Identifying a High Filling

Unfortunately, because your mouth is generally numbed during a filling with a local anesthetic, it can be difficult for you to identify the placement while still sitting in the dentist’s chair. Since getting a filling is generally something most people don’t look forward to, when the procedure is over, you’ll probably be ready to go home as quickly as possible. However, several days later, you might notice that the filling touches opposing teeth sooner than the rest of the teeth surrounding it. This creates a feeling of an uneven bite, and while it may not seem like a huge deal, a high filling can sometimes cause pain.

What Should You Do if Your Filling is Too High?

With high fillings, your periodontal ligament can become tender from the stress every time you bite down. The clinical term for this is acute apical periodontitis or symptomatic apical periodontitis. If pain follows your appointment to get a filling, your Riverside dentists will likely have a fairly quick solution. The process of grinding the filling down to make it level should only take a few minutes. Once the filling is correct, your periodontal ligament may still need a little time to heal from the irritation, but you are likely to feel much better within two weeks.

Riverside Dentists Help with High Fillings

If you are an existing or new patient interested in restorative treatments such as fillings for cavities, you can contact your Riverside dentists for a consultation. We would be happy to offer a solution that will work for you, no matter what age you are. We are happy to offer comprehensive dentistry for the whole family. Contact our 92506 dentist office at (951) 369-1001. We serve patients throughout Riverside County.