7 Tips to Avoid the Failure of Your New Dental Filling

Restoring a tooth with a dental filling is one of the most common dental procedures. But your teeth, after treatment, may remain sensitive or even painful for several days. In addition, it can bring you discomfort when you eat.

In the process of chewing, a new filling may break or move. To prevent such problems, you need to know what you can eat and how to chew properly after the filling procedure. Even if the best dentist treats your tooth, a new filling can fail if you are not careful with it during the adaptation period.

It’s recommended to be careful during the first two to three weeks after the installation of the seal. Try to bite gently and chew your food thoroughly. It’s best to eat with your mouth closed.

Let's take a closer look at the causes of discomfort after the installation of filling and determine the methods of proper food intake during the adaptation period after treatment.

• Increased sensitivity

After a filling, you may experience an unusual reaction in your teeth to hot or cold food and drinks for several weeks. You may experience discomfort when pressing on a tooth with a new filling if it exceeds the depth of the filled cavity. Your tooth doesn't hurt, but it does hurt to chew, which causes some concerns.

When chewing, the filling presses on the dentin and pulp. This causes pain and increased sensitivity of the restored tooth. To avoid such discomfort, do not overindulge in very hot or cold foods and brush your teeth with a desensitizing toothpaste.

• Breakage of the filling

Sometimes, the seal can break. The reason for its destruction can be:

• excessive effort when chewing;


• the destruction of dental tissue under the filling;


• a change in diet;


• taking medications.

In addition, teeth grinding can lead to a loss of the integrity of the filling. To save it, try to be gentler with your restored tooth.

Helpful Tips

After your tooth has been filled, your dentist will explain why you need to chew your food thoroughly and give you guidelines to follow during your adjustment period.

Here are some helpful tips to help alleviate discomfort and avoid damage to restorative material.

1. Chew gently and slowly

Chewing your food slowly and thoroughly will allow you to control the force of the bite on the filled tooth. This will help avoid painful contact between the lower and upper teeth.

2. Chew with your mouth closed

When chewing with a closed mouth, the contact of teeth with cold air is reduced to minimum. This helps avoid discomfort with increased thermal sensitivity of your tooth.

3. Eat soft foods

Eating soft foods during the adaptation period will allow you to prevent displacement and breakage of the filling. Add soups, mashed potatoes, dairy products, juices, cereals, and pasta to your diet.

4. Avoid hard and crunchy foods

Avoid foods that are hard to chew for up to two to three weeks. During this period, the filling material will harden properly, and the tightness of filling the tooth cavity will remain for a long time.

5. Avoid foods and drinks with extreme temperatures

Hot and cold food can make you feel uncomfortable as the temperature sensitivity of the restored tooth increases. Usually such discomfort disappears in 2-3 weeks without therapy. If tooth sensitivity persists longer than this, contact your dentist.

6. Avoid sweets

Some patients develop dental sensitivity to sweet foods after treatment. To eliminate discomfort, refrain from sweets. In addition, sugary foods and drinks promote the growth of bacteria on the tooth surface, which can lead to the development of tooth decay.

7. Avoid sticky foods

The use of food that sticks to the tooth surface can lead to the displacement of the new filling.

The bottom line

A certain discomfort after the installation of dental fillings is common during the adaptation period after treatment. All discomfort (moderate soreness and sensitivity of the teeth) will pass in two to three weeks without additional therapy.

You need to pay attention to how you chew your food and follow the doctor's recommendations and the helpful tips above. Do not forget about a healthy diet and follow the rules of oral hygiene.