You don't have to wait for hours to eat after your dental cleaning. In fact, you don't have to wait at all! That's right, you can eat right after a dental cleaning.
You can eat as soon as you feel ready to do so. But this is if you only had a deep dental cleaning. If your dentist did a cleaning and a fluoride treatment, you'll have to wait for at least thirty minutes. Fluoride treatments are often done to help make your teeth stronger.
Following a routine dental cleaning, you can eat right after the cleaning. We don't recommend a different diet after your regular dental cleaning in most cases. The one thing that we do suggest is that you follow a nutrient-dense diet as this will be most beneficial for the health of your mouth and body.
The inside skinny on eating after a cleaning
If your cleaning included a fluoride treatment or air polishing, you need to wait 30 minutes to eat. If you didn't have a fluoride treatment or air polishing, there's no need to wait.
Things to Avoid after Deep Cleaning
Do not consider eating anything until the anesthesia wears off. Refrain from eating sharp, crunchy, and challenging foods on the day of the procedure. For 48 hours after the procedure, refrain from having hot beverages.
Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. Wait at least two hours before eating, and then select a soft diet for the first 48-72 hours, chewing on the opposite side of your mouth. Avoid alcoholic drinks and hot or spicy foods until your gums are healed.
That's right, you can eat right after a dental cleaning. You just might not want to eat anything. Dental cleaning can cause your teeth and gums to be sensitive. Very cold or very hot foods may be too intense for freshly cleaned teeth.
After scaling and root planing is completed, you may experience slight discomfort around the teeth for several days and increased sensitivity to hot and cold (and sometimes sweets) for up to four to six weeks duration. This is a normal course of healing.
Any food or drink that is high in acid like tomatoes, citrus fruits, pickles, fruit juice and red wine are harsh on your mouth after a deep dental cleaning. Spicy and heavily seasoned foods may also cause your mouth some discomfort. Foods like hamburgers will cause you to open your mouth wider.
But you might be curious about what you should be doing after the cleaning is complete. We recommend you avoid eating or drinking anything for at least 30 – 60 minutes after your cleaning. The timing should be enough to ensure your teeth can recover from the procedure and keep from feeling sensitive.
Can you eat pizza after deep cleaning? Pizza can be relatively chewy and difficult to pull apart. You can use your discretion with pizza, but it's best to avoid any food that requires too much pressure from your gums.
Scaling will make teeth move:
The movement of the teeth is most likely to be temporary physiological or even pathological. Doctors regularly see cases with heavy calculus deposits receding the gum line, leading to compromised periodontal health.
Following the procedure, you may notice some pinkish tinge to your saliva. This is an indication of minor bleeding, and it can occur up to 48 hours after the procedure. Avoid hot foods, and do not rinse your mouth during the first 24 hours, as this can promote further bleeding.
Within a week the gums will start to heal and reattach to the roots of the teeth. The initial discomfort should be gone. Full recovery and reattachment can take up to 6 or 8 weeks, but patients are usually back to normal eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing within the first week.
It is recommended you do not have anything to eat or drink (except for water) at least 5 hours before your scheduled appointment. This will prevent food debris from lodging in your teeth, which can irritate you during a cleaning and give your dentist a little extra work to do.
For the following 24 hours After Treatment you must: Avoid any dark staining drinks like Tea, Coffee, Red Wine, colored soft or alcoholic drinks and fruit juice.
Don't eat any foods, after you have your teeth cleaned, that could get stuck in your gums. A good example of these foods includes chips, nuts, popcorn, and sticky and chewy foods, such as chocolate with caramel and dried fruits.
Hard foods can get lodged between your teeth and cause discomfort. Your teeth and gums could be sore after your appointment, so you should stay away from foods that could further agitate or cause discomfort, like spicy or acidic foods.
Immediately after a deep cleaning you might have some discomfort and aching. After your mouth has had some time to heal you should notice some of the following improvements: Decreased bleeding when brushing and flossing. Better smelling breath.
Does scaling and polishing whiten teeth? Yes. A scale and polish is not primarily designed to whiten the teeth, as that is what teeth whitening treatments are for. With that said however, a scale and polish will in fact leave the teeth looking smooth, shiny, and whiter after the treatment.
For some, the “weird” feeling may be a sense of cleanliness by not having a film of plaque on their teeth. For others, they may experience temporary tooth sensitivity. Tooth sensitivity most often occurs after a dentist performs a deep cleaning which involves more contact with a patient's gums than regular cleaning.
Minor bleeding and swelling may occur, but this should subside after a few days. Other risks include issues with gum reattachment, gum recession, or nerve damage. These side effects are rare, and most patients have no issues after their treatment.
Brush and floss gently following a deep cleaning, resuming normal brushing and flossing when the soreness is gone. If an antimicrobial mouthwash such as chlorhexidine Gluconate or peridex has been prescribed for you, rinse with it for 30 seconds daily before bedtime. Do not drink or eat for 30 minutes afterward.
After scaling and root planing, avoid eating anything on the area being treated for two hours or until the dental anesthetic has worn off completely. Avoid any hard “chippy” foods such as tortilla chips, potato chips, popcorn, or seeds for the next several days.
The short answer is no, the procedure is not painful. You will experience discomfort upon completion but the actual process can be completed with the administration of a local anesthetic to the soft tissue to minimize any unpleasant feelings during the process.