My bite feels wrong after a filling. What can be done?

This one is almost too obvious. When a filling is placed often dentists ask their patients if the bite feels right. Since most patients are numb they can have difficulty judging whether the bite is correct. When their anesthesia wears off it easy for them to judge if their teeth are meeting properly.

A high bite can cause a patient significant pain and should not be ignored. Aside from causing a 'tooth ache' it can even lead to a fracture of the tooth since it is bearing the bulk of the pressure exerted from a patient's jaw muscles.

If the bite is off after a filling is placed, the dentist should be called and a short appointment made so that he can adjust the bite. This usually involves the dentist having the patient bite on articulating paper so that the 'high' spots on the new filling can me marked. These are adjusted using with the dental drill. This process can be repeated until the patients bite is correct. The whole process usually takes several minutes and requires no anesthesia.