3 Foods You Should Avoid After Dental Filling Treatment

A dental filling is a procedure to repair a cracked or broken tooth, a tooth damaged by decay, or a tooth worn down by misuse, restoring it to its original shape and functioning normally. First, the dentists remove the decayed tooth material, clean the space, and place the filling material. Types of materials used as fillings include gold, silver, plastic, and porcelain.

Factors Affecting Your Diet After Dental Filling Treatment

Dentists in the Colony, TX, say that the selection of food you can eat after a filling treatment significantly depends on the filling material used. For example, silver fillings typically take 24 hours to harden completely and reach maximum strength and allow you to eat normally. On the other hand, a composite filling immediately sets just after a dentist directs a blue ultra-violet light on your tooth.

Numbing medication may also affect what you can eat after a dental filling. Dentists apply local anesthesia during the filling treatment. The numbing effect of this medication may last even after the procedure. You won’t be able to move your mouth correctly and taste anything.

There may be increased tooth sensitivity after treatment. The procedure includes removing the cavity and cleaning the affected area, thereby exposing the sensitive parts of the teeth, such as its roots.

However, most of the time, your dentist will be able to suggest what you should be having and when you can start eating solid food after your dental filling procedure.

What to Not Eat After a Dental Filling

To be on the safe side and to consider the things listed above, it is best to avoid these types of foods for up to two weeks:

• Hard foods – Nuts, candies, chips, pretzels, and fruits such as apples or pears.
• Chewy foods – Foods such as jerkies, pizza crusts, fibrous meat, and chewy candies.
• Sticky foods – Caramel, taffy, and toffee, chewing gum, candy bars, and dried fruits or roll-ups.

Your dental fillings may fall out when eating these foods if the filling material has not fully hardened. You may also accidentally bite your tongue, cheeks, or lips when your mouth is still numb from the anesthesia.

What Can You Eat After a Dental Filling?

While you are somewhat limited on what food you can eat, there are still other food options that you can partake without risking your newly filled tooth.

• Soup and Broth – You can have a tasty lunch requiring much chewing at all. You can reach your daily nutritional needs by adding healthy ingredients to your recipe.

• Dairy Products – Foods such as yogurt, cheese, and scrambled eggs do not require much chewing and biting. More importantly, these types of foods are some of the most nutritious out there.

• Smoothies and Shakes – One of the best food solutions, you just let the blender do the work. Slurp and gulp your favorite fruit or protein shake.

Always speak to your dentist after you’ve had dental fillings in The Colony, TX. Feel free to ask any questions before the procedure.

Don’ts After Dental Filling

To help in your fast recovery, dentists here in The Colony, Texas, advise you to refrain from doing the following after having a dental filling:

• Hard, chewy, and sticky foods – At the very least, you may feel discomfort on your tooth, and at the very worst, the filling may fall out, which may require another procedure.
• Sugary foods – These foods may trigger teeth sensitivity and promote bacterial growth around the new filling.
• Hot and cold food and beverages – Since a newly filled tooth increase teeth sensitivity, these kinds of foods may have a painful effect on you.
• Refrain from grinding your teeth – if you habitually grind your teeth, you can wear down the top of your teeth, along with your new fillings.

Final Words

A dental filling procedure is a restorative treatment that is the last recourse to saving a tooth before it is deemed subject to removal. It is a risk-free treatment with typically minor complications. Usually, the only setback is the limitation on what food to eat afterward.

At Main Dentistry, our professional team is ready to help guide you through the dental filling process and what to do after your procedure. Contact us today for a consultation, and we will help you retain your smile.

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