How to Care for Your Teeth After Getting a Filling
Even if you practice excellent dental hygiene, the odds are that you’ll experience at least a couple of cavities throughout your life. When that happens, you’ll likely need to treat them by receiving fillings. Fortunately, getting a filling is a very quick and simple dental procedure. However, after your filling procedure is complete, there are certain things you’ll need to do and things you should avoid to keep your new filling healthy and ensure that your recovery goes smoothly.
Avoid Hard and Sticky Foods
If you want to ensure that your filling stays healthy and prevent unnecessary discomfort, there are certain types of food items you’ll want to avoid for a while after your procedure. Specifically, you should refrain from eating anything particularly hard or sticky. Your new filling will be quite sensitive in the days following your treatment, and food that’s hard or sticky can cause significant pain or damage the filling. A few examples of foods to avoid include:
- Caramels
- Jerky
- Hard candy
- Tough meats
- Nuts
Brush and Floss Regularly
Fillings don’t typically require any special aftercare, but it is important to practice good dental hygiene in the days and weeks following your procedure. Ideally, you should make a habit of brushing and flossing your teeth twice per day. It’s especially important to brush before bed because bacteria tends to do the most damage to your teeth while you sleep.
Contact Your Dentist Immediately for Any Complications
In rare cases, patients can experience certain complications with their new fillings. For example, your filling may crack, break, or even fall off of your tooth. If you experience any of these issues or anything else unusual, it’s important to contact your dentist immediately. At BayView Dental Arts, we offer emergency dental care, and we’ll be happy to provide you with treatment right when you need it.
Trust BayView Dental Arts to Handle Your Filling
It’s always important to have your cavities handled by a skilled and experienced dentist. At BayView Dental Arts, our Naples dentists and other team members take great pride in providing each patient with quality personalized dental care. After your filling is complete, we’ll ensure that you have thorough instructions to properly care for it and minimize discomfort.