Can I eat right after getting a filling?

In most cases, yes. When you can eat depends on two things: the filling material and whether the local anaesthetic has worn off.

• White (composite) fillings. These are set hard with a curing light before you leave the chair, so the filling itself is ready for normal eating straight away.
• Silver (amalgam) fillings. These harden more slowly, so the dentist may ask you to avoid chewing hard food on that side for a while. Ask how long applies to your filling.

If you had an anaesthetic, wait until the numbness has fully worn off before eating. While your lip, cheek or tongue is numb, it is easy to bite them without noticing.

Drinking is usually fine sooner. Take care with hot drinks while you are numb, because you may not feel if they are too hot. If the tooth feels sensitive to hot or cold for a few days, lukewarm drinks are often more comfortable.

These are precautions, not fixed rules. Your dentist tells you what applies to your filling, and their advice comes first.

There is no fixed lifespan. With good care, white fillings commonly last around 5–10 years, often longer. How long a filling lasts depends on:

• Material. White and silver fillings wear differently.
• Size. Small fillings usually last longer than large ones.
• Location. Back teeth take more chewing force than front teeth.
• Oral hygiene. New decay can start around the edge of a filling if plaque is left behind.
• Biting forces. Grinding, clenching or biting hard objects wears fillings faster.

For more detail, read our guide to how long fillings last.

It is best to avoid smoking for as long as you can after a filling, and certainly while your mouth is still numb, when you could burn your lip without feeling it.

Smoking also stains teeth and the edges of white fillings, and it is bad for your gums. If you smoke, regular check-ups and professional teeth cleaning help keep your teeth and fillings healthy.

If your dentist gives you specific advice about smoking after treatment, follow it.

Yes. You can generally carry on brushing and flossing as normal, including on the day of your filling.

If the area feels tender, be gentle. Slide the floss in carefully and ease it out sideways rather than snapping it up against the new filling.

Let us know if floss catches or shreds on the filling, or if your bite feels high or uneven. The filling may need a small adjustment.

Do:

• Follow your dentist’s instructions. Their advice for your filling comes before any general guidance.
• Wait for the numbness to wear off before eating, and take care with hot drinks until then.
• Keep brushing and flossing, gently around the treated tooth if it is tender.
• Keep up regular check-ups so worn or leaking fillings are spotted early.

Don’t:

• Chew while you are numb. You could bite your cheek, lip or tongue.
• Bite on very hard things such as ice or pen tops, which can damage fillings.
• Ignore pain that is severe or does not settle. Some sensitivity for a few days is normal, but it should improve.

If pain is severe, keeps getting worse or does not settle, or your gum or face swells, message us on WhatsApp or contact the clinic.

Not necessarily. Having three fillings in one appointment can be appropriate for some patients. Whether it suits you depends on:

• Your clinical needs. Which teeth need treatment and how deep the decay is.
• How complex the fillings are. Small fillings take less time than large ones.
• Your comfort. Treating both sides of the mouth at once can leave a large area numb.

After your assessment, the dentist explains which teeth need treatment and whether to do them in one visit or over a few. You hear the plan and the price before anything starts. See our prices, read about tooth filling treatment or see all our dental services.