{"id":477,"date":"2017-10-27T05:39:36","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T12:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/?p=477"},"modified":"2024-05-31T09:45:37","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T16:45:37","slug":"care-for-teeth-filling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/care-for-teeth-filling\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Care for Teeth after a Filling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/oral-health\/guide\/dental-health-fillings\">dental filling<\/a><\/strong> can restore the form and function of a damaged tooth. After this procedure, take care to prevent damage to the filling and protect the tooth:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Wait for the filling to set.<\/strong><br \/>\nDepending on the type of filling you\u2019ve had, your dentist will let you know the time it may take to \u201cset:\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-480 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/How-to-Care-for-Teeth-after-a-Filling.jpg\" alt=\"How to Care for Teeth after a Filling\" width=\"500\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/How-to-Care-for-Teeth-after-a-Filling.jpg 500w, https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/How-to-Care-for-Teeth-after-a-Filling-300x218.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gold, amalgam, and composite fillings may take about 24-48 hours.<\/li>\n<li>Ceramic fillings set quickly with the help of a dental curing light.<\/li>\n<li>A glass ionomer (or \u201cbracket adhesive\u201d) sets after three hours, but fully hardens after 48.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2. Take prescribed medications.<\/strong><br \/>\nIf your dentist prescribes medication to take after the procedure, follow their instructions. Swelling, sensitivity, or pain can be reduced by following prescription directions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Eat and drink after the anesthetic wears off.<\/strong><br \/>\nYour mouth may feel numb for a few hours. If your dentist advises against drinking or eating for a period after the procedure, do what they say to prevent injury. The numbness could make it difficult to determine the temperature of a dish or drink, or you might bite your cheek or tongue.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Chew on the side of the mouth without the filling.<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the appropriate time has passed and you can eat again, chew on the opposite side of where the filling was placed. This will help protect the filling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Check if the filling is comfortable.<\/strong><br \/>\nOccasionally, a filling may feel slightly awkward or it may seem difficult to bite or chew. If this is the case, contact your dentist right away so they can gently file it down to remedy the situation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-481 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/How-to-Care-for-Teeth-after-a-Filling3.jpg\" alt=\"How to Care for Teeth after a Filling\" width=\"500\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/How-to-Care-for-Teeth-after-a-Filling3.jpg 500w, https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/How-to-Care-for-Teeth-after-a-Filling3-300x290.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lambtonfamilydental.com\/\">Lambton Family Dental<\/a><\/strong> regularly provides gentle dental care and tooth fillings. Call (519) 344-5747 to ask how we can help get rid of your cavities and\/or tooth pain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A dental filling can restore the form and function of a damaged tooth. After this procedure, take care to prevent &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1436,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions\/1436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lambtonfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}