Dos and Don’ts after Dental Fillings

If you have cavities in a tooth, you will likely need to have it fixed by getting a feeling in it. When dentists provide dental fillings, they recommend things to do and avoid after restoring your tooth to its former functionality.

Although the dental filling procedure is straightforward and completed by the dentist in under 30 minutes, depending on the size of the damage and the location of the tooth, the process entails drilling your tooth after giving you local anesthesia in the mouth to remove the polluted portion of the tooth before cleaning and disinfecting the hollow space. Finally, the dentist provides a filling suitable for your teeth after you discuss your preferences, budget, and the severity of the tooth damage.

After receiving the filling in the tooth, you receive dental fillings after-care instructions from the dentist advising you on appropriate techniques to care for the restored tooth and the filler within as best possible. Although fillers are durable, they are not designed for life.

If you receive silver amalgam fillings on a molar, you can expect them to remain in your mouth for a decade or more. If you have extensive damage in the tooth needing indirect fillings like inlays and Onlays, these restorations have a longer lifespan and stay in your tooth for approximately three decades with proper care. However, if you prefer aesthetic fillers created from composite resin or porcelain, you can expect replacements to become essential in five to seven years, depending on how well you care for them. Therefore it helps if you follow the after-care instructions from your dentist to ensure your tooth remains restored longer than expected.

The Dos after Getting Dental Fillings

• After getting dental fillings in Raritan, NJ, you must remain cautious about the foods you have following the filling process. If you receive composite fillings, the material hardens instantly after the dentist uses ultraviolet light to let you eat and drink immediately after the treatment. However, do not consider eating when your mouth is numb because you might injure your cheeks and tongue to require further dental treatments.
• Avoid eating with metal fillings in your teeth because they take time to harden. Dentists recommend waiting 24 hours before using the fixed tooth for eating or chewing.
• If you experience pain after the filling process, it is normal and subsides in approximately 12 hours. You can take over-the-counter painkillers for relief from the discomfort. However, if the pain doesn’t subside in 24 hours, contact the dentist to check your filling and confirm that no infections are developing inside your tooth.
• After getting dental fillers, do not consider waiting to brush and floss your teeth. However, it helps if you brush gently around the treaty tooth to help you keep the area clean as best possible.
• If a persistent toothache concerns you, do not hesitate to contact your dentist, especially if the discomfort is sharp and throbbing. Such tooth pain indicates that the decay in your tooth has affected the dental pulp to need intensive root canal treatment and a dental crown for restoration.

The Don’ts after Dental Fillers

Avoid eating sticky, complex, and chewy foods for a couple of weeks. You must also refrain from scorching or freezing foods and drinks for about a week after fixing your tooth. Sticky, chewy, and hard foods are better avoided for two weeks or more. Foods requiring you to take hard bites or chew excessively are also out of bounds. To prevent infections, you must also avoid highly acidic foods.

Dental fillings help fix decayed and broken teeth to restore aesthetics and your mouth’s functionality. However, after getting your tooth fixed by the dentist in a short and straightforward process, you mustn’t think restoration will remain with you for life. Instead, you help yourself by preparing to prevent the fillers by caring for them as advised by the dentist. Caring for the dental fillers ensures that you might not need frequent replacements of the fillers by spending time and money with the dentist and weakening your tooth every time you need filling replacements. When you care for your restored tooth appropriately, you can extend the longevity of the filling material and enjoy freedom from regular visits to the dentist to restore your teeth.

After getting dental fillings from Koren Family Dental, you receive instructions on caring for them appropriately for best results. Therefore if you need your teeth fixed, heading to this practice for restorations proves beneficial because the practice, besides fixing your teeth, also helps you maintain them for longevity.