Hi, I have advanced periodontal disease, which is under good control through maintenance and regular cleanings. However, the last 2 times I got cavities removed and fillings put in their place, it has caused me problems with pain. The teeth that were filled hurt when I chew.

Neither the dentist or periodontist seems to know what to do. Both have suggested watching and waiting. Meanwhile I have to eat everyday (which I enjoy) and it's becoming a drag.

I got cavities removed and fillings done 4 days ago and now 1 of the affected teeth is hurting when I chew anything hard. It's just a small nagging pain but of course it's difficult for me to ignore - with my dental history I tend to be hypersensitive to problems.

The last time this happened (6 months ago), the dentist did some filing down (a few times) of the affected tooth to try to get it to align differently. But it didn't help (this is the tooth they're telling me to watch and wait - pulling it would leave another tooth "hanging alone" with no support).

Does anyone have any experience with this situation, or any suggestions?

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'Thats very familiar to me.
...every filling got worse and worse until my whole face became painfull after drilling, or filling, or the needle, I don't know.For weeks!, and then for three months of ""face pain"!!! - But I stopped having fillings after that "face pain".
There was no hope, too many bad teeth and no way to fix them. Thats was 5 years ago, and now I am about to finally get an upper plate [dentures].

I guesss this isn't what you wanted to hear, but to save you from some mystery, the denists never once admitted that I was having pain. They just ignored me. And the pain was inhumane, totally. It still is.

It was actually 9 years from the time freezing and "latent" pains started showing up, until now when I am getting extractions/dentures.

How old are you? When was your first filling? Did you have a lot of mercury amalgam filings?

Thanks for your reply. Sorry I'm so long in getting back to you - too much going on in my life. Now that some time has passed, my teeth have settled down a bit. Most of my problem is emotional/psychological. I tend to freak out at the first sign of pain or problem and imagine the worst. If the minor pain I feel from the one tooth stays, I'll ask the dentist to "grind the tooth down" a tiny bit, so that it's hitting the other teeth more smoothly. They've done this in the past, and it's worked.

Glad to know you finally found relief. I could write a book about unfortunate experiences I have had with bad dentists, but at least now I know how to spot a bad one (and therefore a good one), and have learned a lot about being assertive.

I'd enjoy continuing to correspond, if you'd like to.