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.
A composite filling hardens immediately once a dentist puts a blue UV light on your tooth. You can generally eat when you leave your dental specialist's office. However, Rely Dental , BENBROOK recommends waiting for at least 2 hours before chewing on the filling if you're still numb.
Stay away from anything sticky, crunchy, sugary, acidic, and very hot or cold. Instead, you can have soft healthy foods like bananas, a cool (not cold!) fruit smoothie, or lukewarm vegetable soup. These kinds of foods won't trigger any teeth sensitivity issues, and you won't risk damaging your new filling.
The Dental Filling Procedure
There's not too much you'll need to do to prepare for your appointment. Because the procedure is non-invasive, you don't need to fast. Also, go ahead and brush your teeth as you normally would. If you know you'll have anxiety, try to schedule your filling appointment for the morning hours.
The average time it takes to get a dental filling ranges from 20 minutes to an hour. In most cases, placing a dental filling is a relatively simple and painless procedure.
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.
After getting a filling, it is best to stay away from foods like granola, chips, peanuts, ice, hard candies, popcorn, hard breads, caramel, and gum. If you're eating a food that could crack a tooth or pull out a filling, stop eating the food.
The maximum time required for filling a moderate cavity doesn't exceed 40 minutes per tooth. Therefore if you have three intermediate holes, expect to spend about a couple of hours at the dentist's office to restore your tooth to full functionality with dental fillings.
You should be able to brush normally after the 24 hours has passed and the filling settles. Avoid Chewy And Hot Foods – When consuming food, sensitivity should be expected just after the filling is applied. Avoid foods that are at a hot temperature.
Dentists recommend patients who have had tooth filling to wait at least 2 hours before they resume eating anything. Even then, you should avoid very hard or sticky foods. Chewing a pizza requires greater effort by your teeth, especially when you're eating chicken or beef pizza.
Some people elect to not have numbing gels or anaesthetics when having a cavity filled, but does I hurt when you get a cavity filled without numbing? Well, the answer should be no. When having a filling, your dentist won't reach the dental pulp inside the tooth where nerve endings are, so no pain should be experienced.
Q: Is it painful to have cavity fillings? No. Your dentist will numb the area and use a numbing gel before injecting a local anesthetic known as Lidocaine. You may feel a bit of a sting, but that's a reaction from the local anesthetic when it starts to block the nerve signals to stop the pain.
Before applying the filling, your dentist will make sure that all debris has been removed from your tooth's surface. Then, he or she will make sure that your tooth is cleaned and dried before proceeding to the next step.
How many cavities can a dentist fill at once? Dentists may fill as many cavities as the patient is comfortable with having filled. With this being said, in most cases, dentists do not recommend having more than 3 cavities filled in one sitting. Your mouth needs time to heal.
If the decay reaches your tooth's main structure, called dentin, then a filling can replace the lost tooth structure after your dentist has cleaned the cavity of bacteria and infection. However, if it reaches the tooth's center chamber, called the pulp, a filling may no longer suffice to address it.
Driving after having a cavity filled is perfectly safe. However, it is typical for the local anesthetic used during the cavity filling procedure to leave the area around your filling numb for up to an hour after your appointment.
Your dentist or dental hygienist will let you know what you should and shouldn't do after you receive a new dental filling. Fortunately, there are no restrictions on eating or drinking after the procedure.
The Best Types of Dental Fillings: Composite and Porcelain Fillings. The best and most popular types of fillings are composite and porcelain fillings. Both of these options offer their own benefits for patients with cavities.
Brushing Before The Dentist
When people ask us this question, we always respond that yes, we recommend that you brush, floss and use mouthwash before you leave to come to your dental appointment.
'” Usually, dental patients in pain or the throes of anxiety will close their eyes. That's not a problem, dentists say, unless they're tensing up the rest of their faces, too.