Foods to Avoid After a Dental Cleaning

Protect Your Teeth: Foods to Avoid After a Dental Cleaning

Deep dental cleaning can greatly improve your oral health and hygiene. It can also significantly improve the quality of your smile. However, it isn’t unheard of that you may experience a little teeth sensitivity at the end of the procedure. The dental team at DentalX notes that such sensitivity is short-lived and can be expected due to the deep cleaning process.

Once completed, patients need to know the food items to eat and what to stay away from to help them manage their teeth sensitivity problems better.

Below are some of the food items or food classes to stay away from right after a dental cleaning.

Food That Can Get Stuck in Your Gums

Dental cleaning focuses on removing plaques, tartar, and other items deposited on the teeth’s surface. The procedure also involves the removal of any food items that may have been stuck in the gum – as these can open doors to cavities and tooth decay.

To prevent these problems and save you from teeth sensitivity, it is recommended that you avoid taking foods and snacks like nuts, popcorn, chips, and chewy food. You should also avoid sticky food like chocolates and dried fruits as they could worsen your teeth sensitivity issues.

Acidic Food That May Be Harsh on the Gums

Some food items contain a higher level of acid. These acids can hurt your sensitive gum and make it harder for it to heal within the expected time frame. You stand a better chance of healing quickly when you avoid such food items.

We recommend staying away from pickles, tomato and tomato juice, citrus fruits, fruit juice, and even red wine. You can also avoid spicy food items or heavily seasoned food as they may cause discomfort to your newly cleaned teeth and gum.

Foods That Are Too Big for Your Jaws

Sensitive teeth and gums can affect how you eat and what you eat. With a deep cleaning recently completed, you may find supersized food harder to munch on. For example, foods like hamburgers requiring you to open your mouth as wide as possible may hurt you.

Staying away from such supersized food can help prevent jaw problems and related biting or chewing issues. It can also limit the stress on your freshly cleaned and sensitive teeth.

However, you may still eat your hamburger if you can effectively trim it down such that you don’t have to open your mouth wider than you can tolerate. Rest assured that the sensitivity will only last for a few hours.

If your gum and teeth sensitivity lasts for more than 48 hours, please contact your dentist to review your oral health and needs.

Hot Food and Beverages

Early morning tea and coffee drinkers often love their cups steaming hot. This can be counterproductive, especially after you’ve had a deep dental cleaning. Such hot beverages can further affect your sensitive teeth and gum and may cause mouth lesions or sores.

It is best to avoid hot beverages, at least in the first 48 hours after your dental cleaning appointment according to the best dentist in Staten Island. Doing this can significantly improve your healing from teeth sensitivity. It can also boost your overall wellness.

Food to Eat After Deep Cleaning Your Teeth 

Knowing what to eat and what to avoid after deep cleaning can help your healing process. It can significantly affect how quickly your sensitive teeth and gums heal. To help you heal faster, we have identified some food items you can consider.

Non-Acidic Fluids

Fluids are a great way to get your nutrition. However, you should stay away from alcoholic or acidic fluids that can be harsh on your sensitive teeth and gum. We generally recommend a nutrient-dense diet and non-acidic fluids like milk, yogurts, oats, etc. You should also take a lot of clean water to rinse off the sensitive mouth area regularly.

Nutrient-Dense Diet

Eating a nutrient-dense diet is a great way to get started and enjoy improved health and wellness. It not only promotes faster healing of the teeth and gum but encourages wellness. For a nutrient-dense diet, we recommend several servings of vegetables per day. We also recommend several servings of fruits like bananas daily.

You can also leverage low-sugar drinks like milk and yogurt, healthy fats like avocado and nuts, as well as clean protein sources like fish, chicken, beans, seeds, and nuts.

Following the above advice on what to eat and what not to eat can significantly improve your dental cleaning experience. It can also significantly improve the healing time and help your gum and teeth sensitivity issues wear away sooner.

So, if you’re looking for a dentist in Shrewsbury or one near you, make sure that they’re using the latest tech in dentistry to ensure good results for your treatment.