“How long does it take for a filling to harden?”
I need to have a dental filling next week. Do fillings usually take a long time to harden? My dentist told me that I should wait at least an hour before eating, and 24 hours for solid foods.
4 Answers
DentistDentalfilling
Unless your filling is an amalgam (the kind that turns black), it will be hard enough to eat one immediately. One exception to this is a temporary or semi-permanent filling made with glass Ionomer cement (GIC). Just ask the receptionist, they will probably know.
Yes, after a filling is done, we recommend to eat soft foods for 24 hours so the filling doesn't break.
Not a filling, but bonding (cement material). May need to wait.
Resin, tooth color restorations are placed in small increments and are "cured" with a special high intensity "blue light." This light starts a chemical reaction. Resin restorations are as hard as as they will be. The area is checked to make sure your "bite" is adjusted. You are told not to eat until the numbness wears off. Biting on numb tissue will be painful when the numbness wears off. Silver fillings are a mixture of powered silver and other materials and mercury mixed together. Depending on the make up of the powder and mercury, you may be told not to eat on the side worked on until the next day.
