What (And When) To Eat After Dental Cleaning
On more than one occasion when a patient has completed their dental cleaning with us,
we’re often asked ‘what can I eat and how long do I need to wait?’ This is an understandable
concern. After all, no one wants to immediately undo the 20-30 minutes of hard work
needed to get their teeth looking and feeling great, agreed?
Of course, if you’re one of those patients who tend not to eat prior to a dental clean, then
you’re likely to feel pretty hungry afterwards. The good news is that in general terms it’s
okay to eat right after your dental examination, the bad news is that if you’ve undergone
fluoride treatment or your teeth and gums feel a little sensitive after your clean, you may
want to wait 1-2 hours longer. This is so that any fluoride treatment has sufficient time to
form a proper seal around the teeth, or alternatively, your gums have had time to rest.
Okay, so provided you feel okay, we know that you probably won’t want to spoil that super-
clean, plaque-free feeling by devouring a sugary doughnut, however did you know that there
are also other food groups that you may want to initially avoid? These include:
Cold
Spicy
Crunchy
Sticky, and
Citrus foods.
This is purely because your gums may still feel a little sensitive and the food groups listed
above may cause some slight discomfort. So, while it appears that (initially at least,) you
have very little food that you can actually eat right away, the redeeming factor is that within
a couple of hours, any sensitivity felt during the dental cleaning process should have eased
and after this time, you can feel free to eat whatever you like.
So assuming that your teeth and gums are all good, what are the best foods you can eat
right after a dental clean? Here are some top tips…
Stick to foods like:
Non-spicy soups – Chicken soup for example is always a firm favourite. While it’s
good for the soul, it’s also good for teeth and bones – Bet you didn’t know that?
Conversely, tomato soup contains pigments that can stain teeth – So if you’re not
going to clean your teeth again right away after eating, you may want to avoid it until
the next day at least.
Scrambled or hard-boiled egg – If you like eggs, then you’re in luck. Eggs cooked in
either of these ways are thought to be easy on the gums and are also easy to chew.
Non-citrus fruits like bananas and avocados (yes it is technically a fruit) are also good
for munching on immediately after a dental clean – Despite the fact that bananas
contain natural sugars they don’t stick to your teeth and are also packed with
potassium (used to improve bone mineral density.) Avocados on the other hand are a
good source of magnesium (around 29mgs) which helps to harden teeth.
What about Liquid?
Again you may want to avoid anything too hot or too cold, too fizzy or too sugary
immediately after a dental clean, so I guess that just leaves water! But in reality, it’s only for
a few hours and besides, it’s a great hydrator that won’t stain your teeth.
So there you have it, what and when to eat after dental cleaning! If you feel it’s about time
you had a dental check-up and clean or you’re looking to find a new dentist to provide the
best oral care needs, then give us a call at 44 Dental Care. We’re committed to delivering the
highest standards of dental care for all the family, so why not
book an appointment today
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