Do's and Don'ts After Dental Fillings

If you have a cavity, your dentist will need to perform a dental filling procedure. Our dentists in Parksville share some tips on the do's and dont's following a dental filling.

Do be careful about eating after a dental filling.

Depending on the type of filling your dentist has placed, you should be careful about the things you eat directly following the procedure. Because composite white fillings harden instantly under the blue light your dentist uses, you can eat and drink immediately following the procedure.

A few suggestion for foods to eat after getting a tooth filled include, scrambled eggs, cracker and soup. Try to find foods that require minimal chewing.

However, if your experience pain and swelling, wait until it subsides before starting to eat.

Metal dental fillings take more time to harden, so the majority of dentists will tell you to wait at least 24 hours after the filling to eat solid foods.

To prevent yourself from biting your lips, cheek, or tongue, you will likely want to wait til the local anesthetic wears off before eating. Ask your dentist what they think is an appropriate amount of time to start eating after your filling.

Don't eat sticky, hard or chewy foods for up to two weeks.

You may want to refrain from hot or cold drinks and foods for a few days following a dental filling. Sticky, hard or chewy foods are also a no-no - for up to two weeks. Anything that will require you to take hard bites and chew a lot - such as meat - is probably out.

You’ll also want to avoid highly acidic foods to prevent infection. 

Do take over-the-counter painkillers if you notice pain, discomfort or tooth sensitivity after a filling.

You could experience mild to moderate pain and discomfort after your filling. Most often you should find that pain and swelling go down within 12 hours and you can eat as you please without having any tooth sensitivity, or irritation around the area.

Take over-the-counter painkillers with ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve any physical pain or discomfort after a dental filling.

In the event, discomfort, pain and sensitivity do not disappear after 24 hours, contact your dentist to book an appointment to examine your filling, to make sure there is no infection developing.

Don't hesitate to brush your teeth or floss after a filling.

Did you know that you don’t have to wait to brush your teeth or floss after a dental filling? As long as you brush gently and floss carefully around the tooth, you should be able to keep the area clean as usual.

Do contact your dentist if you experience a persistent toothache

You might experience mild pain or discomfort, or a persistent sharp/ throbbing toothache, this can indicate that the decay has reached your tooth's pulp. If this happens you could require a root canal. Contact your dentist, who can address this for you as soon as possible.

If you need to schedule a dental hygiene appointment don't hesitate to contact our Parksville dentists today.