What To Eat After a Dental Cleaning

Do you hesitate to eat after you leave the dental office after your hygienist cleans your teeth? Do the words smooth and slippery describe how your teeth feel after they have been cleaned?

You’ve probably noticed that it doesn’t take long for those smooth teeth to feel fuzzy all over again. That fuzziness that you feel is plaque beginning to form again on your teeth. After eating certain foods you might notice that your teeth feel dirtier than they do at other times.

Does this mean that you should avoid eating after a cleaning or that you should eat certain foods over others? Keep reading to find out!

Eating After A Cleaning

The good news is that you usually don’t need to refrain from eating or drinking following your dental cleanings.

The only time that you should avoid food or drinks after a cleaning is if you had a fluoride treatment at the end of your appointment. Fluoride is a mineral that helps to strengthen and build up your teeth. Your teeth absorb the fluoride, and it is recommended to avoid food for 30 minutes after a fluoride varnish treatment. Follow your dentist’s recommendations for what you should and shouldn’t do after a fluoride treatment.

If you have sensitive teeth, you might find that you don’t want to eat following your cleaning because your teeth are sensitive. In that case, you might want to avoid these foods for a few hours since they tend to be foods that can make sensitivity worse:

• Sticky foods
• Foods from the citrus family
• Spicy foods
• Crunchy foods
• Hot or cold foods

Foods That Can Be Easily Eaten Following A Cleaning

If you struggle with sensitive teeth, choosing the right foods to eat can make eating after a cleaning a breeze. These foods can provide some great options for you following your dental cleaning:

• Soft foods including mashed potatoes, bananas, applesauce, bread, yogurt
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Soups – ideally, you would want to eat them when they are warm and not too hot.

Healthy Foods That Are Good For Your Teeth

When it comes to picking out foods that are good for your teeth, it is incredible how similar it is to picking out foods that are good for your health. Eating a well-balanced diet is essential for getting the variety of vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, and carbohydrates that your body and teeth need.

Here is a list of foods that will help you build healthy teeth:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meats such as chicken, fish, or red meat
• Beans or Lentils
• Whole Grains, as in bread or cereals
• Low-sugar dairy products for calcium
• Healthy fats such as olive oil and avocados

Don’t Forget To Drink!

Drinking water is a crucial step in keeping your teeth healthy! Water is the best drink option as it helps flush out toxins, hydrate your mouth, and doesn’t contain sugar. Sugar-filled drinks can be very hard on your teeth, especially after cleaning them, so stick to drinking water as much as you can.

Riverside Dental cares about the health of your teeth. You can do much daily to keep your teeth healthy and clean. Choosing healthy food can make a big difference in oral health.

After looking at the healthy foods list above, take a minute to ask yourself these few things. What things are you already eating that are good for your teeth? Do you have any habits that should be altered so that you can better manage the health of your teeth?