Foods To Avoid Before And After A Cosmetic Dental Procedure

You can get your dream smile easily nowadays with advancements in cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry is a branch that aims to improve your teeth alignment, fill gaps, if any, and shape your teeth so that you get a dazzling smile with even teeth. These cosmetic procedures have gained popularity in today’s era when we all want to look and feel our best.

Before any cosmetic dental procedure, you need a preparation phase which could be exciting and scary at the same time. As you look forward to your new gorgeous smile, you also wonder what foods you can eat before and after the procedure. Though each patient might be undergoing a different treatment, we all need to avoid some common foods and drinks before and after the treatment.

So if you are interested in getting a cosmetic procedure done, here is a list of foods you must avoid while you are preparing for your treatment and post-treatment.

What Are The Different Cosmetic Dental Procedures?

Cosmetic dentistry improves both the appearance and the function of your mouth through various treatments. Some of the common ones are:

• Implants – If you have missing teeth, implants are a great alternative to dentures. They become a permanent part of your mouth after the gums and bones have fused.
• Teeth whitening – The dentist uses a bleaching agent to whiten and brighten your teeth. The treatment also involves a thorough cleaning of the mouth before whitening your dentitions.
• Inlays and outlays – These are also termed indirect fillings and are used to fill cavities that are either too large for regular fillings or too small for crowns. Inlays cover the cusps of your tooth, while onlays cover the tooth’s surface.
• Dental veneers – Made from medical-grade ceramic, veneers can cover an impacted tooth with natural-looking thin covers. You would get a custom-made veneer that suits your tooth’s size, shape, and color and blends seamlessly with your natural pearly whites. They can correct a range of issues, such as damaged enamel, gaps in teeth, etc.
• Cosmetic bonding – In this procedure, your teeth get a healthy makeover by covering their cracks, worn edges, and chips. It uses a composite material that matches the color of your enamel.

Foods to Avoid Before the Cosmetic Dental Procedure

Your cosmetic dentist would definitely give you specific instructions on how to prepare for the treatment, but as a rule of thumb, you should not consume the following foods right before your appointment:

• Foods that stick to your teeth – Foods such as pasta, bread, crackers, meat, popcorn, etc., have a tendency to get stuck between your pearly whites. It is best to stay away from such foods because not only would your dentist find it harder to work with an improperly cleaned mouth, but it also increases the risk of complications. 

It is vital that you brush and floss thoroughly before your appointment to provide a clean mouth to your dentist to ensure they can perform quality work.

• Heavy meals – Though it is ok to eat something right before your cosmetic procedure, it is best to keep the meals light and nutrient-dense. With a heavy meal, you might end up having an upset stomach, or at worst, you might experience nausea during the procedure, especially if the dentist needs to use anesthesia.
• Spicy foods – Just like heavy meals, spicy foods can also upset your stomach, which can make the treatment time difficult for you. To avoid discomfort of any kind, go for light, nourishing, and easily digestible food before your treatment.

Foods to Avoid After the Cosmetic Dental Procedure

In general, recovery post any cosmetic dental procedure is straightforward though it varies from person to person and also on the type of treatment done. If you wish to speed up your recovery time, then you must avoid some foods and drinks for a week or so after the treatment. Your dentist would give you specific instructions to follow, so it goes without saying that those need to be followed religiously.

• Very crunchy or hard foods – Your mouth would be a bit sore after the treatment and would need time to recover. If the doctor had used anesthesia for the procedure, then your mouth could also be numb for a few hours post-treatment. 

It is vital to stick to soft foods for a few days to avoid any injury or complications. Eating hard food would not only hurt your mouth, but it might also damage the work that you just got done. In general, you should avoid any hard foods for a week post-treatment.

• Heavily pigmented beverages or foods – You would surely like to preserve the cosmetic treatment for as long as you can, so it is best to avoid staining drinks and foods such as red wine, coffee, black tea, berries, colas, etc. 

These foods and beverages can stain your dental work, and you might need to redo them if they cannot be removed easily. If you find it too hard to give up on your morning coffee, make sure to brush your teeth (or at least rinse) immediately after consuming it.

• Gummy or sticky foods – You can risk your recently performed dental work by eating sticky foods such as gummy bears, candy, caramels, etc. For instance, if you have veneer or dental bonding done, such food can get stuck to your dentition and pull the veneer or the bonding out while chewing on them.

The cosmetic dental procedure is like a breath of fresh air for most of us who crave a beautiful smile. It also improves the functioning of our mouth by correcting chipped teeth, gapped teeth, and many other problems. If you plan on getting any cosmetic dental treatment done, you would need to follow some food restrictions before and after the treatment, as explained in this article.