Last Updated on by San San

Can I Eat After Getting a Filling?

A tooth with a cavity requires a filling as soon as possible to prevent additional tooth decay or damage. To fill the cavity, the dentist will have to remove the decayed part before filling the hole. There are a few essential steps to follow after getting a filling – and some steps must be done after you visit the dentist. Some may be habits to make sure you take good care of your teeth after the filling is done.

The question is… can I eat after getting a filling? If you had a filling recently, then you may understand why it is difficult to eat right after the procedure. It’s tempting, especially when you were too nervous to even get your stomach filled before the procedure. Let’s explore the answers to this question then. Can you eat after a filling?

Looks simple, but the answer to this question is simple yet complicated at the same time. It would depend entirely on your case since not everyone has the same procedure as yours, and in some cases, the dentist will let people eat after a filling.

For starters, while you can eat after getting a filling, you must be outright selective on the food you eat to avoid irritation and pain in the affected areas. That’s the safest decision to make if you’ve decided to eat after a filling.

Depending on the pain or irritation after getting a dental filling, you may eat or skip eating depending on your appetite. In most cases, it is better to wait until the pain is subdued before eating – it could get worse if you force yourself to eat. To avoid craving food after getting a filling, it is better to eat properly before the procedure – that’s the best advice there is.

Can I Eat After Getting a Filling

Getting a cavity filled: What it takes

When you have a cavity-filled tooth or several of them, you must get them filled. Getting a cavity filling or tooth filling helps prevent the cavity from further decaying your tooth or teeth. This is a better procedure than getting a tooth pulled out because it’s rotten unsalvageable.

Cavities are decaying parts of your tooth caused by bacteria that come from the food you eat stuck in between or in the cracks of your teeth. Getting a cavity filled takes more than filling the hole. Your teeth will have to be cleaned first, then the parts infected by cavities will need to be removed before the dentist starts the dental filling process.

It takes a qualified dentist to get rid of tooth decay problems in the first place, because they need to make good judgment on what to do with your teeth. You cannot get a tooth filled when it doesn’t need to be filled, just like how you wouldn’t need braces if your teeth are perfectly positioned.

The dental filling will have to be leveled and on point to make sure it doesn’t go to waste when you chew on your food or drink fluids. Leaving cavities on the tooth with it unfilled can lead to more severe problems that will require intensive treatment in the root canal. Before then, make sure you get your teeth cleaned on schedule before they turn into cavities and ruin your teeth even more.

Dental filling is straightforward these days, and it is nearly painless. But its process is still worth knowing just to have an awareness of what you will be going through during the procedure.

It’s important to set your expectations since some cases involve going through a tooth extraction. This means your tooth may be too eaten by cavity that it can no longer be saved. In some cases, your tooth may start to break down, hurt or even be pushed deeper into your gums which makes extraction a little more difficult.

A single dental filling can take you an hour or two. It will take you a single office visit to have your cavity filled and a few days of monitoring if not all goes well.

The numbness due to the local anaesthesia takes approximately three hours, during which the dental filling process should be complete.

Other than that, a few more recovery time is ideal before ingesting anything. Afterwards, you can start drinking or eating but take precautions depending on your teeth’ sensitivity after the filling. 

Foods to eat after filling 

In most cases, patients have to wait for a few hours to eat after a filling and before they can ingest anything into their mouth. It usually takes 2-3 hours before the local anaesthesia wears off. If you must eat before the anaesthesia wears off, you must be extra cautious because you might bite your tongue or lips without noticing.

The good news is that a composite filling hardens immediately after the procedure. This could be a good option to do if you know you will be hungry after the procedure. If you want to eat after a filling, make sure you choose this option and ask your dentist if it is possible for you to do so.

Foods to eat after a dental filling should be as soft as possible, and you should avoid chewing using the affected side. Do not include too cold or too hot foods because it will likely irritate the filling’s sensitive area. If you aren’t allowed to chew after getting a filling, here is a list of soft foods that might help keep you full for the rest of the day. 

Applesauce: Once you taste it, you will love it, and it is a perfect snack for breakfast. It doesn’t hurt your mouth; when you don’t feel like cooking, grab some applesauce, and your breakfast is sorted. 

Pudding: If you like it creamy, sweet, and soothing, pudding is a healthier vegan treat for breakfast and dessert. You can have vanilla or chocolate pudding for an easy and delicious breakfast.  

Smoothies: If you haven’t tried green smoothies yet, for your information, it is among the right foods to eat after a composite filling. You can choose your favourite combination between spinach or broccoli, plain Greek yoghurt, orange juice, coconut water, and frozen fruit. You can add some proteins by throwing in a few nuts. 

Pureed soup: It is a kind of food you can take to fill up yourself without the effort of your jaws. You can have it when and hungry and get filled up like you had a real meal. That’s not all; you can pack in every ingredient for a balanced diet. Soup is helpful if you have issues chewing for a few more days after a dental procedure. 

Mashed potatoes: It is a kind of meal that you can eat, and you won’t feel like you are on a diet. Mashed potatoes are too soft and require no effort to chew. You can add some flavour with cheese to make it tasty and creamy. 

Oatmeal: No matter how painful or irritable your mouth is, oatmeal will provide you with healthy and filling options without hurting you more. Depending on how sensitive your mouth is, you might want to blend before eating. You also skip toppings such as nuts or extra fruits this time round. 

Can I eat after getting a filling? You might ask, yes, you can eat any of the above meals, but give yourself a recovery time of more than three hours before drinking or eating anything. After that, you can introduce any of the foods above, and there is more food than I have listed. 

Can I Eat After Getting a Filling Conclusion

Having cavities is common these days, but you can’t stay with cavities for long before you run into serious teeth problems. Filling the cavities is the only remedy to salvage the situation.

So can I eat after getting a filling? Of course, you must eat, but not immediately. Make sure you fill your stomach before the dental procedure. If the pain persists, you might want to seek immediate attention from your dentist. If your dentist says you can eat after a filling, then that’s an even better sign to listen to.

And if your chewing is not even, call your dentist and explain your troubles; you might want to revisit the dentist to even up your bite. Although tooth fillings are meant to last for a long time, they can wear or break down. When this happens, you need to have tooth fillings again to prevent further damage.

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