Fillings & Crowns

After care instructions for fillings & crowns

Fillings, single visit crowns (cerec), crowns and bridge work are all types of ‘restorative’ dental work. The following advice is useful after this kind of dental work: 

Eating and Drinking:

  • Take care if having hot food or drink after treatment, as while you are numb you could burn your mouth. Make sure whatever you are having is lukewarm until the numbness has gone.

  • Numbness in your lips and gum may last a few hours, so chew food carefully and avoid chewing on the area where the filling/cerec/lab crown was done. This will help avoid biting your cheek or tongue.

  • You may drink, and eat on your filling/cerec/crown straight away

Sensitivity:

  • Some tooth sensitivity may be felt during the first couple of weeks after your filling/cerec/lab crown. It is quite normal for the tooth to feel sensitive and this should eventually settle down after a few weeks.

  • Sensitivity will depend on the size of the cavity and how close the cavity was to the nerve (excluding Root canal treated teeth). If you have been advised that the cavity was large or close to the nerve of the tooth, expect that it may take longer for the sensitivity to completely disappear after treatment.

Feeling normal to bite:

  • If your bite doesn’t feel normal i.e. if bite feels ‘high’ or it feels like you’re only biting on the one tooth after your filling/cerec/crown, please call us so we can make a quick appointment to adjust your bite. There is no charge for this appointment.

Temporary crowns:

  • When a lab crown is made the dentist will place a temporary plastic crown to get you by in the meantime. While these can look good and feel comfortable they will not last long. Make sure you have an appointment a few weeks later to place the permanent crown.  

  • If the temporary crown breaks or comes off, contact us straight away. You may need to come in so we can make you another temporary crown. Losing a temporary crown may cause increased sensitivity or damage the prepared surface.

Looking after your restoration:

  • Make sure you take care of your filling/cerec/crown by following your regular daily routine – brushing twice a day and flossing. Your tooth has been fixed but you need to keep up good oral hygiene as to prevent decay.