My dentist tapped on my teeth today, and now they feel different. Can this have done permanent damage to them

A big No. There shouldn't be any permanent damage to them if your dentist only tapped on the teeth. That's called percussion. It's a diagnostic tool the dentist uses to detect the health status of the tooth. For example, if there is pain on percussion, there might be acute apical periodontitis or it indicates the supporting periodontal structures are inflamed . You might want to be concerned as why your dentist tapped on your teeth. But just from your description, I would say NO.

My dentist tapped on my teeth today, and now they feel different. Can this have done permanent damage to them
well chances are it didn't...Did you get a cleaning as well. If the problem persists, then consult your dentist.
Reply:You probably have very senstive teeth . You will be fine by tomorrow if you stop worring about it and keep your tonge off of them .
Reply:More than likely, no. Did he give you a local anesthetic? The affects could still be wearing off. Or, even a good floss might have helped. I hate it when they pull that stuff out w/floss...even though I do it right before I go in there. Anyways....did you get a filling? That could make your whole mouth feel different.
Reply:No, it can't. He was just checking to see how the tooth would react to having that added pressure on it. A tooth that hurts when you tap on it more then likely has an abcess.
Reply:No,
Reply:If you have an abscess - even a beginning abscess - the percussion could stir things up and then you'd have some discomfort later. The tapping didn't cause the problem, but it brought it to light.





Just speculating, but I see this often enough...



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