my son had a cavity fillled 3 weeks ago, he complained after that when he drank anything cold that it hurt. two days ago, it really started bothering him and he woke up this morning and the whole side of his face was swollen with an infection. when i went to the dentist today, he told me that it was either the one that he filled or the caninie in front of it(these are both baby teeth) causing the problem. he said that if it is not the one he filled it is because the new adult teeth are pushing down cause the nerves on the baby teeth to die. i was just wondering a different oppinion because he wants to extract both teeth, which will cost me a fortune ontop of the money i just had to pay to have the other one filled, which now he wants to pull. i am very confused, and am leary of having two of his teeth pulled. if the tooth that he filled is the one causing the problem, is it something that he did during the filling that might of aggravated or damaged the nerve to cause all of this
Hello and welcome to just answer.
I am sorry to hear about your son's pain and discomfort.
Sensitivity to cold indicates an inflamed pulp. The inflammation is considered REVERSIBLE if the pain from the cold stimulus disappears within a few seconds of removing the cold stimulus i.e 15 seconds.
Reversible pulpitis may be caused by any agent that is capable of injuring the pulp such as:
1)It can happen while preparing the cavity with a dull bur or keeping the bur(used for cutting the cavity)in contact with the tooth for too long 2)Excessive dehydration of the cavity with chlorform or alcohol. 3)Bacteria,as from caries.
In your son's case, there is a possibility of injuring the nerve during the filling if the decay ( the cavity)he drilled lied close to the pulp. This trauma to the nerve can cause the nerve to die or necrosed. When a pulp dies it can become infected and can give rise to an abscess/infection.
If this is the case then the tooth will have to go for baby root canal /pulpotomy to remove the necrosed pulp.
I would recommend you to take your son to a pedodontist (Childs specialist) and get his teeth evaluated by getting an x-ray done before considering extraction.
Extracting the baby teeth should not be considered as the first option if the pulp is injured/ nerve is dead These teeth (baby teeth) must be saved till the time permanent ones are scheduled to erupt as they are important in maintaining the physiologic space of the permanent teeth. These teeth (baby teeth) also prevent malocclusion and bite problems which can arise if they are lost early.
I hope this helps!
If you are satisfied please don't forget to ACCEPT the answer.BONUSES and positive feedback are always appreciated.
If you have any more questions, please feel free to respond to this question.
Good Luck!
Dr. Hans
Experience: 11 years of clinical experience in diagnosing and treating problems in oral and dental health.