- Features of light seals
- When to eat mono after filling?
- What products should you be careful with?
- What complications can there be?
- If the seal falls out or is damaged
In modern dentistry, when reconstructing teeth with composite materials, preference is given to light fillings, which have many advantages over the classic filling composition. A light filling is more convenient to install, less toxic, resistant to heavy loads, looks more natural, and can even match the color of tooth enamel. However, in order to maintain the result achieved by the specialist and not provoke separation of the composite, the recommendations of the attending physician should be followed. One of the main questions that patients ask is when can they eat after a light tooth filling and are there any dietary restrictions in the future.
How much can you not eat after having a filling installed?
All patients are interested in whether they can eat after having a filling installed.
You can eat food, but not immediately after the event, but after some time. Experts use various compositions, and each of them has its own hardening time. But first, you need to consider what you can’t eat after installing a filling in order to avoid its premature destruction.
The list of prohibited products includes all solid products, including chips and crackers, viscous - toffee and other products of similar consistency, coloring - coffee and tea, tomatoes, beets and the like. The consumption of hard and viscous products contributes to the destruction of the filling, and the use of coloring products causes a change in the color of the filling material.
Temporary restrictions
The first question that patients ask the doctor after treatment is: how long can you not eat? It all depends on the technology used, and some of them allow you to eat food almost immediately.
But there is one caveat. Even if the top layer has already hardened, the inner layer is subject to deformation. Therefore, there is no need to rush. There are the following general recommendations on time limits (according to the type of material):
- amalgam – 3 hours;
- plastic – from 3 to 5 hours;
- cement - from 2 to 3 hours;
- photocurable composites – can be eaten immediately;
- chemically cured composites – 1 hour;
- temporary fillings except photopolymer ones – from 2 to 3 hours;
- photopolymer temporary fillings – no restrictions.
Is it possible to drink after having a filling installed?
At the appointment, patients always ask whether they can drink tea or other drinks after treatment. In this case, the same recommendations apply as for eating - it all depends on the technology. But there are also additional restrictions. Drinking drinks is not recommended until the anesthesia effect has completely subsided.
This is due to the possibility of injury to the mucous membrane by too hot a liquid, because sensitivity is reduced. It is very difficult to say exactly how long you can drink. In this case, everything depends on the effectiveness of the painkiller, its duration of action, dosage and individual reaction of the body.
Recommendations
Immediately after installation, you must refrain from drinking and eating for the time recommended by the dentist until the final effect of the pain medication. After this period, you should not eat foods that are too hot or too cold, as they may affect the strength properties of the material.
The load should be moderate. It is advisable to try not to chew on this side of the jaw during the day, since the filling may become loose if it does not harden sufficiently.
In addition to traditional questions about food and drink, dental visitors are also interested in additional questions.
Is it possible to drink alcohol
In fact, alcohol does not have any special effect, which means that theoretically it can be consumed. But the point here is completely different. In most cases, filling is performed under anesthesia, and it and alcohol are incompatible. Therefore, experts recommend abstaining from alcohol for at least a day.
The same can be answered to the question “can I drink beer?” After 24 hours, yes, you can. Beer does not contain coloring enzymes and fillings do not change color under its influence.
Is it possible to smoke after installation?
After the filling procedure, you can smoke approximately 2-3 hours later.
. Tobacco smoke does not affect the color of the filling, unless it concerns plastic-based compounds. They are rarely used due to their fragility, but when using such a composition, smoking immediately after the procedure will cause its darkening. Ideally, dentists recommend giving up cigarettes for at least a day, if possible.
What not to do after installation
The main thing that should not be done after installation is to subject the tooth to increased loads.
. Therefore, gnawing any foods (nuts, seeds, candies, etc.) is highly discouraged. Avoid the use of chewing gum, toffees and other similar confectionery products that tend to stick to teeth.
The consumption of hot and cold foods is limited; this can cause the filling material to break prematurely.
There should be no traumatic impact on the tooth, therefore, if discomfort is felt, you should consult a doctor and not take any action yourself.
Is it possible to brush your teeth
A specialist will definitely advise you on how to brush your teeth after installing a filling. It is advisable to do this only the next day. In some cases, it is recommended to change the paste and brush. It is better to choose a brush of medium softness; it will not injure the injection site. Pastes - on the recommendation of a doctor, but without the inclusion of abrasive components.
Recommendations after installing a light seal
Photopolymer is a new material that instantly hardens under the influence of a solar lamp.
Has high strength characteristics. It is possible to select a shade that best matches the natural one. After installation, such a filling is not visible even on the front teeth.
Care
Caring for teeth with polymer fillings is not particularly difficult:
- they need to be cleaned regularly, with a medium-hard brush and gel toothpastes that do not contain abrasive inclusions;
- Dental floss should be used carefully; if it clings to the edge of the filling, you should immediately contact a specialist to eliminate this defect;
- exclude coloring foods from your diet for at least a week;
- limit the consumption of sweets, including sweet carbonated waters, especially those with dyes;
- For several days after the event, do not load the tooth and limit yourself to solid food.
Is it possible to eat after having a light filling installed?
The photopolymer hardens instantly, but the inner layer does not have sufficient strength for some time. Therefore, a reasonable question arises: “when can you eat?”
Although many doctors allow you to eat food immediately after the event, it is better to refrain from eating for a couple of hours. There is a risk of material deformation.
There is also the possibility of staining, so you need to consider what not to eat.
Foods that can stain the filling are completely excluded from the diet for 7 days. These are any drinks with dyes, including strong tea and coffee. Fruits and berries with a likelihood of such an impact (cherries, sweet cherries, mulberries, blackberries, raspberries, black currants and the like). Vegetables such as carrots and beets. It is worth giving up tomato-based ketchups and sauces, tomatoes themselves in any form, and a number of juices. Dentists recommend following a “white” diet during this period. That is, eat only what cannot stain the filling.
Advantages of photopolymer material
This differs from other types of composite materials:
- The ability to control the hardening process. The doctor fills the tooth without haste, applying layers of material as carefully as possible. The composition is plastic, hardens only when exposed to an ultraviolet lamp.
- Safety for the patient's health. Photopolymer material is characterized by low toxicity, so it is used even in pediatric dentistry.
- The ability to create a filling of the desired shade. She won't stand out.
- Durability. It is due to good adhesion to hard tissues. Typically, the service life of a photopolymer filling is at least 5 years. With careful handling and high-quality teeth cleaning, its service life increases.
- Ease of finishing. The composite can be polished well, so the filling does not create discomfort - it will not scratch the mucous membrane of the tongue and cheeks.
An experienced dentist can easily give the crown the desired shape, so the filled tooth looks natural.
After installing a temporary filling
A temporary filling is necessary for multi-stage treatment, which involves access to the cavity after several days or weeks. Therefore, the strength and aesthetic requirements for such materials are low. But in any case, you must adhere to the specialist’s recommendations, otherwise the filling will fall out, pathogenic microbes will enter the cavity and the procedure will have to be repeated.
After installation of a temporary filling, patients are interested in the ability to eat and drink. These points need to be considered.
Is it possible to drink
If a regular cement filling was used, you can drink after 2-3 hours. If the cavity is closed with photopolymer, immediately after installation is completed. But the point here is not about strength, but more about anesthesia. When exposed to it, sensitivity is minimal, so the patient may not feel the temperature of the drink and injure the mucous membrane. Therefore, you need to drink very carefully, avoid too cold or too hot, and it is better to do this after the painkiller has worn off.
Is it possible to eat
The specialist’s answer depends on the material
. The use of a cement filling involves the same restriction as in drinking: from 2 to 3 hours. With photopolymer, it is absent, but it is not recommended to load the tooth until it has completely hardened, so you will have to abstain from hard foods for at least a day.
What food to choose next?
It is important to know not only when you can eat after applying a light filling, but also what is best to eat after treatment, so that the restoration will delight you with its beautiful appearance and functionality for a long time.
What food to prefer:
- without bright chemical and natural dyes: composite materials accumulate pigment well, and therefore love for beets, berries, strong tea, freshly squeezed juices, red wine and other highly staining products can play a cruel joke. A restored tooth can quickly turn yellow, become dull and begin to stand out from its neighbors, which is especially noticeable with restorations on canines and incisors,
- neutral temperature: a skew towards too cold or hot (even worse is their combination) can lead to the appearance of cracks and chips in the material,
- not too hard and fibrous: whole fruits and vegetables, large pieces of meat are best divided into several parts before consumption. This will extend the service life of not only artificial restorations, but also natural teeth.
You should completely refuse or limit the consumption of chips, toffees, candies and crackers to the maximum. Such products can worsen the quality of hygiene (they stick, get clogged in hard-to-reach places, from where they are difficult to clean later), provoke increased formation of bacterial plaque with all the ensuing problems (diseases of the teeth and gums), and also compromise the integrity of the materials used for filling.
It would be better to limit yourself from some foods
“For as long as I can remember, after a light filling these days, and after a filling ten years ago, doctors always say the same time after how long to eat. Usually limited to two hours and that's it. No more restrictions are mentioned. And everything is always fine, nothing falls out or becomes deformed. Although I think professionalism and the quality of materials also play a big role here. If it was done by a crooked doctor, then the filling will fall out, crack, or after a while caries will be discovered underneath it, even if you chew only soft food and brush well for the rest of your life.” Marina Karlova, review from woman.ru
Is it possible to experience discomfort after treatment?
After the procedure, slight discomfort is present for 14 days - this is normal.
. During this period, it is necessary to eliminate as much as possible the influence of factors that provoke unpleasant sensations - hot and cold foods, sour, spicy and sweet foods. You also need to avoid excessive stress and carry out hygiene procedures with caution.
But if pain occurs after this period has expired, this is a reason to consult a doctor. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, and only a specialist can accurately identify a specific one.
Contraindications
In rare cases, filling leads to complications. A person experiences pain even after 3 days from the date of the intervention. Unpleasant sensations can be sharp and shooting, they cannot be eliminated with the help of analgesics. This happens when there is inflammation of adjacent tissues, incomplete removal of the nerve, or poor material. More often, complications are encountered by those people who did not take into account contraindications. In some cases, the procedure cannot be performed, as it can only worsen the situation.
Main contraindications:
- The tooth cannot be restored, so it will have to be removed.
- An x-ray revealed internal root resorption.
- There is severe resorption, which affects more than a third of the root.
- There are carious perforations in the bottom of the chamber.
- Bone loss in which there is loss of periodontal attachment.
- There is a follicular or odontogenic cyst.
The doctor will tell the person whether there are contraindications for the procedure.
What to do if your tooth becomes sensitive after installing a filling?
If after installation the tooth reacts to cold or hot, but the required 2 weeks have already passed, you need to urgently go to the dentist. The exception is recently treated pulpitis. In this case, increased sensitivity persists for up to a month.
The specialist will conduct a diagnosis and determine the cause of this phenomenon. This could be the consequences of poor quality filling installation, inflammation or similar diseases. The most common cause of pain is the occurrence of repeated caries. In this case, the destruction of the enamel continues.
What causes recurrent caries
Repeated carious lesions of tooth tissue can occur due to non-compliance with technology,
which happens rarely, or
the patient’s failure to comply with the doctor’s recommendations – which happens often
.
Due to the shrinkage of the material, which is caused by increased load on the tooth, microcracks appear between the filling and the tissue. They contain pathogenic bacteria. When they multiply, they form an acidic environment. All this contributes to the occurrence of repeated caries, which is hidden under the filling and is diagnosed only after the active development of the pathology. Therefore, it is very important not to violate the doctor’s recommendations. Also, incorrect actions can cause the filling to fall out.
How to properly perform hygiene procedures
After treatment, brush the filled tooth carefully, applying minimal pressure to it. Do not use rinses containing abrasive substances and alcohol, which can increase the plasticity of the material - this will lead to a change in the shape of the filling. Also, do not use overly hard brushes - they can leave microcracks in the material, which will not have the best effect on the durability of the filling.
In general, you should take care of teeth with fillings in a completely standard way:
- daily brushing of teeth twice a day - in the morning after breakfast and in the evening after all meals, after - rinsing the mouth with water and rinse,
- To clean the area of filled teeth after eating, it is better to replace dental floss with an irrigator. If you floss (thread) carelessly, you can touch the installed filling, especially if there are thin edges of the tooth, which will lead to its chipping or loss.
