Emergency dental treatments
Occlusal adjustment: fixing a bite that is a fraction too high
One tooth meeting a fraction of a millimetre before the rest can make it ache, throb and feel loose. Finding and smoothing the high spot takes minutes and often ends the pain the same day.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, Principal Dentist · GDC 301711 · Last reviewed April 2026
Why a high spot on one tooth can cause so much pain
Your teeth are extraordinarily sensitive to how they meet. The ligament around each root contains nerve endings that can detect a difference of around twenty microns, less than half the thickness of a sheet of printer paper. When a filling or crown is even slightly proud, that one tooth takes the full force of every bite before any of the others touch. It is bruised hundreds of times a day. The ligament swells, the tooth lifts fractionally in its socket, which makes the high spot higher, and within a day or two you have a tooth that aches constantly, hurts to bite on, feels loose, and can even become sensitive to cold because the inflamed ligament is irritating the nerve.
Occlusal adjustment, or bite adjustment, is the removal of that high spot. It is one of the smallest treatments in dentistry and one of the most satisfying, because a tooth that has been throbbing for days can be comfortable by the evening.
Problems we treat with a bite adjustment
A new filling or crown that feels high.
A cracked tooth.
A tooth that has been knocked.
A tooth with an abscess.
An upper wisdom tooth biting on a gum flap.
A tooth loosened by gum disease.
How we find and adjust a high spot
Listening and looking.
Marking the contacts.
Adjusting.
Rechecking.
Done.
Fees for occlusal adjustment
A bite adjustment usually fits within the examination slot. If we placed the restoration and it is high, ring us and tell reception; you will be seen quickly. Full fees are on the emergency fees page.
| Treatment | Fee (from) |
|---|---|
| Emergency examination including X-rays | £30 |
| Bite adjustment to a filling, crown or natural tooth | Quoted in writing at the examination; usually a small fee |
| Adjustment to a filling or crown placed at this practice in the previous few weeks | Ask when you call; we want it right |
| Out-of-hours (after 6pm weekdays, weekends) | Additional charge |
After the adjustment: what to expect
The first 24 hours. Eat normally but chew on the other side if the tooth is still tender. Ibuprofen as directed on the packet is the best painkiller for a bruised ligament, because it reduces the inflammation rather than just masking it; paracetamol if you cannot take ibuprofen. The tooth may feel strange, as if something is missing, for a day. That is your ligament recalibrating and it passes.
The first week. The ache should be gone within two or three days and biting comfortable within a week. Sensitivity to cold, if the ligament had irritated the nerve, may take a little longer. Call us if the tooth still feels high after 48 hours, because the ligament sometimes takes a day to settle and a second small adjustment is occasionally needed. Call too if the pain is unchanged after a week, if pain to hot drinks lingers, or if the tooth starts to throb at night; those point to a nerve or crack problem that the bite was only part of. Our guide to pain when biting lists the other causes.
When adjusting the bite is not the answer
Removing tooth is permanent, so we are conservative. We do not grind healthy teeth to treat jaw joint pain or headaches; the evidence for that is poor, and a night guard, which is reversible, is the right first step for clenching and grinding. We do not adjust a tooth that hurts on biting until an X-ray and a bite test have ruled out an abscess or a crack, because taking a cracked tooth out of the bite may hide the crack while it spreads. A tooth that is high because it has been pushed up by an abscess needs the abscess treated, not just the enamel smoothed. And a bite that has changed across many teeth, rather than one, points to something else: a shifting jaw joint, worn dentures, or teeth drifting after an extraction. Those need a fuller look at a routine examination rather than a chairside adjustment.
Questions, answered
Common questions
My new filling feels high. Is that normal?
It is common, and easy to fix. Anaesthetic makes the bite hard to judge when the filling is placed. If it still feels high a day later, call and we will adjust it in a few minutes.
Does a bite adjustment hurt?
No. We remove tiny amounts from the surface of a filling, crown or enamel with a polishing bur. No anaesthetic is needed and you feel only a brief vibration.
How long does it take for a high filling to settle?
A very slightly high filling can settle over a week or so as the ligament adapts. One that hurts to bite on will not, and is better adjusted than endured.
Can a high filling damage the tooth?
Left for weeks, yes. The constant overload bruises the ligament, can irritate the nerve enough to cause lasting sensitivity, and can crack the filling or the tooth around it.
Will grinding my teeth down fix my jaw pain?
Usually not, and it is irreversible. Jaw joint pain and clenching are treated first with a night guard, which is removable. Bite adjustment is reserved for a single tooth that is clearly high.
How much does a bite adjustment cost?
It is one of the smallest fees in the practice and is quoted in writing at the £30 examination. If we placed the filling or crown recently, tell reception when you call.
Why does my tooth feel loose after a high filling?
The ligament around the root swells when it is overloaded, lifting the tooth slightly in its socket and making it feel mobile. Once the high spot is removed the ligament settles and the tooth firms up within days.
In pain? Don’t wait
Same-day emergency appointments, seven days a week.
£30 emergency examination including X-rays. Call now and a real person answers, or grab a slot online.
334 Manchester Road, Deepcar, Sheffield S36 2RH · Free parking