How Long to Wait to Eat After a Composite Filling?
After getting your tooth restored and getting rid of that pain you’ve been dealing with, you probably can’t wait to eat all your favorite snacks. You can start munching again, but after a short time. Read on to learn how long to wait to eat after a composite filling and what types of foods you can safely enjoy.
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Why the Wait Time Is Shorter With Composite Fillings
If you have a silver filling, your dentist might have asked you to wait about 24 hours before you eat anything on that side. That’s because silver fillings take a long time to set. Thankfully, you don’t have to wait so long after getting a composite filling.
Composite fillings set immediately. This happens when your dentist uses a curing light to harden them. So once your filling procedure is done, you can soon get back to your meals.
The only reason dentists ask to wait a short time is to let the anesthesia effect fade off.
How Soon Can You Eat After a Composite Filling?
You may wonder: if the filling is already set, can I eat immediately afterward? The short answer is no. You can usually eat once the numbness from the local anesthetic has completely worn off. For many patients, this takes about 1 to 2 hours, though it may vary depending on the type of anesthetic used.
There are two reasons for this wait. Firstly, you’ll have to wait until your tooth and tissues no longer feel numb. If you eat something too soon, the risk is that you may bite your tongue or the inside of your cheek without realizing it.
Another reason is bite pressure. This is important to consider if you have a filling for a molar. Direct bite pressure on your treated tooth may trigger some pain. It’s best to give your tooth some time to settle.
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What Can You Eat Once the Numbness Fades?
When you feel that the numbness is now completely gone, start with soft foods first. Consider foods like mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, or lukewarm (not hot) soups.
You can even cut your food into small pieces to make it easy to chew. Start chewing on the opposite side first, and then slowly move to the other side. If your tooth still feels a little tender, chew on the other side only for the first 24 hours.
Later, you can eat almost all types of foods after getting a composite filling, but keep a few limitations in mind.
Foods You Should Avoid (or Limit) Eating With Composite Fillings
For the first 24 hours after filling treatment, you should absolutely avoid eating any hard or sticky foods. Also, your tooth may feel a bit sensitive for some time, so avoid eating or drinking anything at extreme temperatures.
In the long run, dentists suggest limiting very hard and pigmented foods if you have a composite filling. This can help your filling last many years.
Summing Up
The wait period to eat after getting a composite filling is short, about 1 to 2 hours. If you feel that your new filling has high spots or any rough edges, visit our dental team at Cloud 9 Dental immediately. Call us at (818) 986-7411 to book a visit.