The last time I had bonding with a previous dentist, I had sensitivity for months and the tooth he/she worked on hurt to chew. Why is that?
If a tooth hurts after dentistry, particularly if it didn’t hurt before, that tells me something didn’t go well with the bonding procedure. Many patients tell us they had a filling that created sensitivity and the dentist did a root canal and then a crown, when the filling was very small to begin with. These are episodes where the bonding technique did not go well and it is a technique-sensitive procedure. Particularly if you have sensitivity to chewing after a tooth-colored filling, you can count on a bonding failure. In my practice we almost never see this happen, and when we have patients come from another office with this complaint, it’s an easy fix without root canals or crowns.
How long should my dentistry last?
This is a great question that we get asked often. Let’s assume you take good care of yourself, brush your teeth, eat healthily and visit your dentist every 6 months for regular cleanings and checkups. When dentistry is performed with every aspect taken into consideration, particularly the function, not just the techniques used, then dentistry should last 20-30 years and in some cases even longer (some materials such as gold even longer!) If you’re not getting at least 20 years of service from your dental restorations, something is not going well. Many factors play into this with some being the responsibility of the patient, but the dentist should carry some responsibility in doing what is best for each patient with their individual case.
