Best Soft Foods To Eat After a Tooth Filling (3+ Expert Tips)
By
Dr Shivam Jha
This blog post will address the topic, “soft foods to eat after tooth filling” and cover topics like planning your breakfast, lunch and dinner after filling, how long should you wait to eat after getting my filling done, how to eat after a filling without damaging it, whether you can eat rice, ice cream or a pizza after filling, what not to do after filling, discomforts experienced after filling and all about dental fillings and their different types.
Soft Foods To Eat After Tooth Filling
Soft Foods to eat after tooth filling are:
- Dairy products including curd, cottage cheese and scrambled eggs
- Soup and broth
- Cooked fruits and vegetables
- Smoothies and protein shakes
- Mashed potatoes
- Oatmeal or cream of wheat
- Butternut squash
- Lentil soup
- Tilapia or other white fish with light seasoning
- Steamed soft veggies like squash or peas
- Polenta or grits
- Jell-O
- Bananas
- Apple sauce
- Cold coffee (not so cold!)
- Milk shakes
- Soft boiled rice
- Bread dipped in soup
It is advised to eat soft foods after tooth filling and avoid hard and sticky foods and sugary foods that might aggravate the tooth sensitivity and pain.
Planning Your Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner After Composite Filling
Eating hard, sticky, sugary and too hot or cold foods after tooth filling can cause increased tooth sensitivity and pain and might also fracture and dislodge your filling.
But that doesn’t mean that you have no options left! Here is a list of foods that might be interesting and safe to include in your breakfast, lunch and dinner:
Breakfast:
- Omelette
- Oatmeal
- Curd with No or low sugar
Lunch:
- Boiled, extra-soft rice
- Pulses or vegetable soup
- Cooked and mashed green vegetables
Dinner:
- Fish that is boiled and soft
- Oatmeal or wheat cream
- Soft boiled vegetables
How Long Should You Wait To Eat After Getting Your Filling Done?
It is a common question in every patient’s mind and the answer is not that simple. It depends on the following factors:
Filling Type
Amalgam filling takes almost 24 hours to harden and therefore you can only start eating after 24 hours.
Composite hardens as soon as you leave the dental chair and therefore you can eat once the local anesthetic wears off.
Local anesthetic
Local anesthetic applied during the filling process makes the entire procedure pain free as it numbs the surrounding soft tissues.
The numbness takes almost 1 to 3 hours to go away and therefore you must eat after the numbness has subsided.
If you eat when your mouth is still numb, the risk of chewing and damaging your tongue, cheeks and lips increases.
Hence, it is advised to eat only after the numbness in your mouth disappears.
Discomfort After Filling
It is quite normal to face some discomfort like pain and pressure upon biting after filling or soreness in the gums.
Such discomfort may disturb your mood and hasten your desire to eat.
Over the counter pain killer and salt water rinse will help in comforting you.
Sensitivity After Filling
Eating or drinking too hot or cold might cause sensitivity and interrupt your happy eating hours.
This is temporary and will subside in coming weeks after filling and till then it is advised to avoid too hot or cold food or drinks and also foods that are causing sensitivity.
Biting Difficulty After Filling
Sometimes, the trimming and polishing part is not done accurately, which leaves the filling too high, causing pain and pressure on biting.
This can be corrected by the dentist in no time and will help you to quickly come out of discomfort.
5 Precautions While Eating After A Filling
After a filling, you might feel some discomfort and need to follow the following to get some relief:
- Chew on the opposite side of the new filling with minimum pressure
- Eat Soft Foods as hard food puts a lot of pressure on the teeth surface causing discomfort to increase.
- Do not eat foods that are sticky in nature as it may stick to your new filling and dislodge it. This mostly happens with amalgam fillings.
- Eat slowly as this will put less pressure on the tooth and relieve the discomfort.
- Do not eat or drink anything that might trigger tooth sensitivity. Too hot, too cold or sugar rich foods and drinks must be kept away from your palate.
All the above tips might relieve the discomfort caused after filling.
However, your dentist is the best person to give you suggestions based on the type of your filling material and your overall oral hygiene.
Can You Eat Rice After A Filling?
Yes, you can eat rice immediately after a composite filling but your dentist will recommend you to wait for at least two hours for the numbness to wear off.
Eating just after filling, when your mouth is still numb, can lead you to chew and lacerate your own tongue, lips and cheeks.
Therefore, it is recommended to not eat immediately after a cavity filling and wait for at least 2 hours before eating anything.
Silver amalgam fillings take almost 24 hours to harden and may get expanded or contracted and break upon eating or drinking food that are two hot or cold.
It is advised to not eat or drink food that is too hot or cold after getting an amalgam filling.
Can You Eat Pizza After A Filling?
Yes! You can eat pizza after waiting for at least 2 hours after composite filling and maybe 24 hours after silver amalgam filling.
It is recommended by the dentist to wait for the numbness caused by local anesthetic to subside, before eating pizza or anything for that matter, to avoid chewing and damaging your own tongue, lips and cheeks.
Pizza is sticky and hard food, takes a lot of effort to chew and hence you must eat it from the side opposite to the filling tooth, to avoid pulling away your new filling.
Can You Eat Ice Cream After Tooth Filling?
Yes, you can eat ice cream after tooth filling but it is advised not to, as eating anything too cold can cause the filling material to expand or contract abnormally leading to the fracture and dislodgement of the filling.
Eating ice cream may also increase tooth sensitivity and pain after filling, thereby increasing your discomfort.
What Can You Not Do After A Filling?
After a filling, you must not eat hard and sticky foods, sugary foods and any food and drink that is too cold or too hot.
You should also wait for at least two hours before eating and drinking anything as till then your mouth might be numb due to local anaesthesia used during the filling process.
How Long After A Filling Can You Drink Tea?
After a filling, the dentist suggests drinking tea or coffee or eating anything after two hours as local anesthesia numbs your teeth and gums and takes almost an hour or two to subside and disappear completely.
You must not drink too hot tea or too cold iced tea as new fillings may distort and break due to excessive contraction and expansion of the filling material.
Therefore, it is recommended to not eat immediately after a cavity filling and wait for at least 2 hours before eating or drinking anything.
Discomforts After Getting A Dental Filling
Numbness
Just after the filling is complete, you may feel numb till the effect of local anaesthesia wears off.
Tooth Sensitivity, Pain And Pressure On Biting
Tooth sensitivity after getting a filling done is not uncommon and it may fade away in 1-2 weeks.
Sometimes, the trimming and polishing part is not done accurately, which leaves the filling too high, causing pain and pressure on biting.
This can be corrected by the dentist in no time and will help you to quickly come out of discomfort.
Galvanic Shock
Mostly seen with amalgam fillings, galvanic shock is a type of electric shock in the mouth, produced when two metal fillings touch each other.
All pain and sensitivity might take 2 weeks to subside. If it does not disappear even after 2 weeks, it is recommended to consult your dentist.
Dental Fillings: All You Need To Know About
What Is A Dental Filling?
Dental filling, as the name suggests, is the use of various materials to fill the hole in the teeth called cavities.
Materials used to fill the cavities are referred to as Filling Materials and the process is known as Dental Filling.
How Is A Dental Filling Done?
- A local anesthetic is used in the first step to numb the soft tissues around the tooth that needs filling. This is essential to give painless dental care.
- Removal of the decayed area of the tooth that needs filling using rotary instruments, or a laser.
- Probing to confirm removal of all decayed parts of the tooth that needs filling.
- After complete removal of the decayed part, cavity preparation is done by cleaning the bacteria and other debris produced during decay removal.
- Liners are applied for nerve protection if the decay has advanced to the root and might irritate the nerve endings.
- If you have opted for a tooth colored composite material for filling, then your dentist will apply the composite in layers and use a special blue dental curing light to harden the composite material applied.
- Finally, trimming and polishing is done and the filling process is complete.
Types Of Dental Filling Materials
Variety of materials are used for filling. Some of them are listed below:
- Gold fillings
- Porcelain
- Silver amalgam
- Tooth-colored materials called composite resin fillings
- Glass Ionomer
Several factors that need consideration while choosing the best filling material for yourself are:
- Where is the decay located?
- How much decay has involved the tooth?
- If the roots are involved?
- Amount you can bear for a filling?
- Recommendation of the dentist after full examination and X-Ray
After taking all the above points in consideration, you can choose the best filling material for yourself that will have maximum efficacy and minimum discomfort.
White Fillings: Composites, Ceramics And Glass Ionomers
Composites
Pros:
- Aesthetics — Composite fillings closely match the tooth color and therefore are most commonly used for anterior(front) teeth.
- Micro-mechanical bonding with tooth structure for support.
- Additional uses of composite fillings — Composite fillings have additional use in repairing chipped or broken teeth.
- Cavity preparation involves removal of less tooth structure as compared to amalgam fillings.
Cons:
- Lasts for at most 5 years, is less durable and also bears less strength compared to amalgam fillings which last for more than 10-15 years.
- Filling process takes 20 minutes longer than amalgam fillings as curing is involved.
- Multi-visits are possible when composites are used as inlays or onlays.
- Composite fillings being tooth colored are two times more expensive than metal colored amalgam fillings.
Ceramics
- Porcelain is most commonly used in preparing ceramics.
- Stain resistance is more when compared to composites.
- Lasts three times more than the composites, for at least 15 years.
- Being tooth colored and also more durable makes it as expensive as gold.
Glass Ionomers
- Prepared from acrylic and glass material of specific type
- Very weak filling material
- Being weak, it is avoided from use on biting surfaces and common for filling tooth of young children
- Chemically bonds to the tooth
- Fluoride release is common and therefore protects the tooth from developing cavities and undergoing decay.
- Old generation glass ionomer fillings lasted for less than 5 years but new generation of these fillings last more
- Cost is comparable to composites
CONCLUSION
This blog post addressed the topic, “soft foods to eat after tooth filling”. We understood about planning our breakfast, lunch and dinner after filling, how long should we wait to eat after filling, how to eat after a filling without damaging it, whether we can eat rice, ice cream or a pizza after filling, what not to do after filling,
The article outlined discomforts experienced after filling and all about dental fillings, process of dental filling, their types and comparison of white or tooth colored fillings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): Soft Foods To Eat After Tooth Filling
Can you eat normally after a filling?
Yes, you can eat normally after a filling, being cautious of the numbness, discomfort and the type of filling.
Usually, your dentist will advise you to eat 2 hours after the filling process, allowing the numbness caused by local anaesthesia to disappear.
Waiting time also depends on the type of filling. You can eat normally from 2 hours after composite filling or it may take 24 hours for you to start eating normally after an amalgam filling.
What should you not eat after a filling?
You should avoid eating hard and sticky foods like pizza after getting a filling.
Too hot or too cold and sugary foods should also not be eaten after a filling.
These foods can either pull off your filling or may cause sensitivity and discomfort after a filling to increase.
How long can you eat after a cavity filling?
Local Anesthesia used during the start of the filling process takes almost an hour or two to subside and disappear completely.
Eating just after filling, when your mouth is still numb, can lead you to chew and lacerate your own tongue, lips and cheeks.
Therefore, it is recommended to not eat immediately after a cavity filling and wait for at least 2 hours before eating anything.
Silver amalgam fillings take almost 24 hours to harden and may get expanded or contracted and break upon eating or drinking food that are two hot or cold.
It is advised to not eat or drink food that is too hot or cold after getting an amalgam filling.
Why does my tooth with a filling hurt?
It is normal for your tooth to hurt after filling.
The nerves inside the tooth become inflamed after the filling, causing sensitivity and pain.
The pain, sensitivity and pressure on biting will eventually subside in 1-2 weeks.
What Is The Reason For My Uneven Bite After Filling?
It is very common for your teeth to feel uneven after filling.
It happens because the trimming and polishing part is not done accurately, which leaves the filling too high, causing pain and pressure on biting.
This can be corrected by the dentist in no time and will help you to quickly come out of discomfort.
Other FAQs about Teeth Filling that you may be interested in.
Can You Brush A Temporary Filling
Can I Eat Pizza After A Filling?
REFERENCES:
Ideal Soft Foods for After a New Filling. (2020)
Soft food diet options. Colgate
Chewing Tips After A Filling. Colgate
Healthline. (2019)
What Is a Filling? Colgate
Dental Health and Tooth Fillings. (2019)
Decloux, Derek, and Aviv Ouanounou. “Local anaesthesia in dentistry: a review.” International Dental Journal (2021).
Williamson R. Clinical management of galvanic current between gold and amalgam. Gen Dent. 1996;44(1):70-73.