Does it hurt to get a cavity filled with laughing gas?
By
Dr Shivam Jha
This blog post will address the topic, “does it hurt to get a cavity filled with laughing gas” and cover topics like why do fillings hurt without an injection or sedation, various numbing agents used in a filling process, how long does it take to complete a dental filling, discomforts after dental filling, how long does it take to recover from the effects of laughing gas and can cavities heal without fillings.
Does It Hurt To Get A Cavity Filled With Laughing Gas?
No, it does not hurt to get a cavity filled with laughing gas. In fact, your dentist may advise you to get your tooth filled with laughing gas to relieve your anxiety and pain.
Laughing gas is nitrous oxide and is used as a sedative agent after being mixed with oxygen. It is administered through your nose using a mask.
Laughing gas removes anxiety, fear and gives you a feeling of joy, making your dental procedure pain-free without being unconscious as in general anaesthesia.
Fillings hurt when no anaesthetic injection or laughing gas is given before the start of the drilling process and this is the reason why almost all fillings involve injection in the first step.
It is very rare that your dentist will begin the filling procedure without any anaesthesia or numbing agent.
Why Do Fillings Hurt Without An Injection Or Sedation
Fillings hurt without an injection or sedation because your tooth contains pulp tissue which is highly vascularized and innervated.
Drilling process irritates the nerve endings present in the dentin and pulp, causing pain, sensitivity and discomfort.
Local anaesthetic injection numbs the nerves and thus minimises or eliminates the pain and discomfort associated with the filling process.
What Are The Various Numbing Agents Used In A Filling Process?
Agents used for numbing in a filling process or in any dental procedure that involves numbing are called local anaesthesia.
Use of numbing agents or local anaesthetics depend upon the choice of your dentist.
It is suggested that you must inform your dentist about any allergic reactions that you may have experienced in the past to any of the local anaesthetics.
Some of the commonly used agents for local anaesthesia are:
Lidocaine
Also called as lignocaine, it is the most commonly used local and topical anaesthetic agent.
It takes as long as 8-9 minutes to numb the tooth and the numbing effect lasts for almost an hour, as per a study.
Articaine
4% articaine is found to numb the tooth faster and the numbing effect also lasts longer as compared to lidocaine, reported a study.
Benzocaine
It is most commonly used as a topical anaesthetic agent in children above 2 years of age and adults of all age groups.
It takes less than a minute to numb the soft oral tissues and lasts only for 5-10 minutes.
How Long Does It Take to Complete A Dental Filling?
Dental filling is the use of various materials to fill the hole in the teeth called cavities.
It takes almost an hour or less to fill a single cavity.
In case of multiple cavities, the dentist might give you multiple appointments.
For a filling, your dentist may proceed with the following steps:
- A local anesthetic is used in the first step to numb the soft tissues around the tooth that needs filling. This is essential to give painless dental care. Sometimes, when you are too anxious, your dentist may administer you with laughing gas.
- Removal of the decayed area of the tooth that needs filling using rotary instruments, or a laser.
- Probing to confirm removal of all decayed parts of the tooth that needs filling.
- After complete removal of the decayed part, cavity preparation is done by cleaning the bacteria and other debris produced during decay removal.
- Liners are applied for nerve protection if the decay has advanced to the root and might irritate the nerve endings.
- If you have opted for a tooth colored composite material for filling, then your dentist will apply the composite in layers and use a special blue light called “curing” to harden the composite material applied.
- Finally, trimming and polishing is done and the filling process is complete.
Discomforts After Getting A Dental Filling
Numbness
Just after the filling is complete, you may feel numb till the effect of local anaesthesia wears off.
Tooth Sensitivity, Pain And Pressure On Biting
Tooth sensitivity after getting a filling done is not uncommon and it may fade away in 1-2 weeks.
Sometimes, the trimming and polishing part is not done accurately, which leaves the filling too high, causing pain and pressure on biting.
This can be corrected by the dentist in no time and will help you to quickly come out of discomfort.
Galvanic Shock
Mostly seen with amalgam fillings, galvanic shock is a type of electric shock in the mouth, produced when two metal fillings touch each other.
All pain and sensitivity might take 2 weeks to subside. If it does not disappear even after 2 weeks, it is recommended to consult your dentist.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Effects Of Laughing Gas?
It takes just 2 minutes to recover from the effects of laughing gas after the dental procedure is complete. Laughing gas wears off in quick time as soon as the mask is taken off your nose.
Some may experience headache, lightheadedness, mental confusion and pain or numbness in the legs as a side-effect of laughing gas.
Can cavities heal without fillings?
Cavities heal without fillings with the use of a new treatment called silver diamine fluoride (SDF).
Silver Diamine Fluoride is a liquid that can be applied to halt the progress of cavities in all age groups.
A 2009 published study recommends 38% SDF in cases where restorative treatment is not an option.
However, it may not be helpful in cases of pain and sensitivity due to pulpal infection.
CONCLUSION
This blog post addressed the topic, “does it hurt to get a cavity filled with laughing gas”. We understood why fillings hurt without an injection or sedation, various numbing agents used in a filling process and how long does it take to complete a dental filling. The article outlined discomforts after dental filling, how long does it take to recover from the effects of laughing gas and can cavities heal without fillings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): Does It Hurt To Get A Cavity Filled With Laughing Gas
How Long Does It Take to Complete A Dental Filling?
It takes almost an hour or less to fill a single cavity.
In case of multiple cavities, the dentist might give you multiple appointments.
How do you stay calm during a cavity filling?
For you to stay calm during a cavity filling, your dentist will numb your tooth that is going to be drilled for filling.
If you feel anxious even after numbing, for you to stay calm, your dentist might recommend sedation and make you go to sleep.
However, sedation is not always recommended for all and may be contraindicated in patients with other disorders or comorbidities.
Do fillings for cavities hurt after?
Yes! It is normal for your tooth to hurt after filling.
The nerves inside the tooth become inflamed after the filling, causing sensitivity and pain.
The pain, sensitivity and pressure on biting will eventually subside in 1-2 weeks.
Why do cavities turn black?
Cavities turn black once they spread and invade the dentin. Dentin is naturally darker than enamel and hence when it is exposed by the cavity, the tooth appears darker or black or sometimes brown.
Cavities turning black is an indication that it is progressing and if not treated may reach pulp causing pulpal infection, pain and sensitivity.
Can I Eat After A Filling?
It is advised to eat soft foods after tooth filling and avoid hard and sticky foods and sugary foods that might aggravate the tooth sensitivity and pain.
It is generally recommended to avoid drinking and eating anything that is too hot or too cold for at least two hours after a composite filling.
It is also advised not to drink and eat anything that is at extreme temperatures for 24 hours after an amalgam filling.
Drinking or eating food that is too hot or too cold may cause the restoration material to expand or contract in an abnormal manner leading to its fracture and dislodgement.
Other FAQs about Teeth Cavities that you may be interested in.
Does brushing a cavity make it worse?
Do dentists lie about cavities?
References:
Controlling Anxiety and Pain at the Dentist’s Office – WebMD
Do Fillings Hurt? Types of Fillings, Numbing, Prevention & More
What Is a Filling? Colgate
Dental Health and Tooth Fillings. (2019)
Yee, R., et al. “Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride for Arresting Caries Treatment.” Journal of Dental Research, vol. 88, no. 7, July 2009, pp. 644–647, doi:10.1177/0022034509338671.