Pain at the inlay – What can be behind it?
Pain on the inlay, which develops after many years of wearing it, is usually caused by caries underneath the inlay. Often the pain described as pulling is accompanied by sensitivity to cold, heat, heat or sharpness. In most cases, the dentist first takes an X-ray.
On this X-ray, for example, caries can be detected. To correct the defect, the inlay must be removed. If the caries has progressed very far, the bacteria may have already infected the tooth nerve, which will require a root canal treatment.
If the pain occurs immediately after or a few days after the inlay is inserted, a dentist must be consulted immediately. It is possible that the gums have been irritated or injured by the treatment. Furthermore, the tooth is usually sensitive to irritation due to pressure sensitivity after the new inlay has been inserted. It is also possible that the inlay is incorrectly positioned or that it is too high and consequently damages the teeth in the opposite jaw.
Procedure for implantation of an inlay
If an inlay is to be created for a tooth, the corresponding tooth is first freed from caries. Then the tooth is prepared using grinding instruments according to predetermined criteria. Then an impression of the jaw and the opposite jaw is taken.
These are sent to a dental technician. Then a temporary denture made of plastic is made, which is worn until the next appointment. The dental technician uses these negative molds to make two plaster positive molds of the patient’s jaws.
He can then create the inlay on these moulds. After fabrication, the inlay is sent back to the dentist and tried on in the patient’s mouth. The patient must not bite when the inlay is made of ceramic material, if the inlay is loosely inserted, otherwise there is a risk that the inlay will break.
The dentist checks the fit of the inlay in the mouth. Flossing is used to check the contacts to the neighboring teeth and a probe is used to check the gap-free transitions between the inlay and the tooth. If the inlay fits well, it can then be glued in place with a cement.
Now the patient can bite and possible disturbances can be compensated in case of ceramic in the patient’s mouth. If the inlay fits in the patient’s mouth during the trial fitting, a total of two appointments with the dentist for the creation of an inlay will be made.
