“How long do cavity fillings hurt?”

Typical fillings should not be painful. Deep fillings may be sensitive; although, in today's world, there are treatments for the inside of a cavity to reduce or eliminate tooth sensitivity.

A cavity is like a wound to your tooth. When you cut your arm, the wound is sore for awhile, even after placing a band-aid. How sore that arm gets is directly dependent on how big the cut was, and if the wound was treated before infection sets in. In a severe case, a cut might get infected, get gangrene, and you just might lose that arm. A tooth is absolutely no different. Decay causes the cavity (the wound) and the filling seals the wound-site. So to answer your question directly I would need to see an xray of how deep the cavity was. The key is progressive healing. If every day it begins to feel a little better then you're on the road to recovery. If it stays the same or gets worse then your dentist may not have gotten to the cavity in time and it might need further treatment. One important factor is how you chew on this particular tooth. If the bite is off - even a 10,000th of an inch - you will have chronic pressure sensitivity. This is easily (in 95% of the cases) treated by having your dentist adjust the height of the filling. But don't ignore it. Return to your dentist for further diagnosis and additional treatment if necessary. Your dentist placed the filling (the restoration) with the intention of eradication of the disease in your tooth. Healing doesn't always occur like we would hope. See your dentist but keep faith that your tooth will get better.

Not supposed to be at all.

I had some tooth-colored fillings done that hurt for about 6 months. Not badly, but annoying.