What should you eat with composite bonding?


What should you eat with composite bonding

Composite bonding is one of the most popular and realistic ways of repairing chipped, cracked or misshapen teeth. At Wallasey Village Dental Practice, we provide this to hundreds of patients in Wirral every year. Unlike other treatments, such as veneers, composite bonding is entirely reversible and does not require any enamel to be removed from your teeth before the procedure. As composite bonding is non-invasive, you can resume your normal activities straight away. 

However, there are a few things to watch out for if you’re having composites - especially involving diet. We’ve created this guide for patients to let you know what you can eat with composite bonding and what it may be better to limit or avoid. 

The composite bonding process 

Composite bonding usually involves the following steps: 

  • Preparation - Your dentist will roughen your tooth’s surface and apply a conditioning liquid. 

  • Applying the composite resins - These will be applied and sculpted to create a natural appearance. 

  • Curing - The composites will be hardened using a special light.

  • Polishing - We’ll apply dental polish so it looks and feels like your other teeth. 

Ideal food choices

You should be able to eat and drink normally after having composite bonding, but to maintain your composites for as long as possible, it may help to stick to soft foods such as mashed potatoes, pasta and vegetables, at least for the first few weeks after your teeth have been treated. Although you can still enjoy meat, it may be better to slow-cook it to place less strain on your teeth.. Softer fish can also provide a healthy source of protein. 

As heavy consumption of some darker liquids such as coffee, tea and red wine can stain your teeth, consider switching to still water or other clearer liquids. 

But having composite bonding doesn’t mean having to give up the food you enjoy. For instance, you can always cut up crunchy foods like apples or carrots into smaller chunks instead of avoiding them altogether. 

Dietary precautions after composite bonding 

If you’ve had composite bonding, it’s sensible to avoid or limit certain foods that may damage the bonding on your teeth. 

These include hard, crunchy foods such as apples and some nuts, sticky foods such as toffee, and fizzy or very sugary drinks. Acidic foods such as lemons, oranges or pineapples can also damage the restoration if you consume them excessively. 

Beetroot, turmeric, red wine, coffee and some berries can also stain your bonding if you have too much of them; if you are unsure, ask our experienced dental team. 

Finally, we also recommend avoiding smoking as the chemicals found in cigarette smoke can stain your bonded teeth. 

What happens if my composite bonding gets damaged? 

Even if you keep your teeth in perfect condition, your composite bonding will probably need to be replaced after an average of 5-7 years. If this occurs, it isn’t a disaster and it isn’t your fault. If it gets damaged, simply contact us and we can reapply the bonding. 

If your teeth are stained or discoloured, we also offer teeth whitening. We recommend whitening your teeth to your desired shade before you get composite bonding, as the procedure does not work on the resins. 

We also recommend visiting the hygienist once a year to keep your teeth and gums healthy and clean parts of your teeth you might find difficult to reach. Our dedicated Wirral-based dental hygienist will polish your composites and your other teeth.

Frequently Asked Questions 

  • No, after composite  bonding you should be able to resume your normal routine straight away as it is a non-invasive procedure. However, we recommend wearing a mouthguard when playing sports or doing strenuous exercise, as there is a risk that the bonding could get damaged if you suffer trauma to the teeth.

  • Despite their health benefits, beetroot, turmeric and some other food and drink such as red wine and some berries can stain your composite bonding. As a result, we suggest eating these in moderation, as part of a healthy balanced diet, and avoiding particularly staining foods for the first few weeks after your new composite veneers have been applied.

  • Composite bonding starts from £300 at Wallasey Dental Practice.. Explore all our dental fees here.. 

    We also offer Denplan affordable dental care; for more information, please ask at reception.

  • Composite bonding is recommended as the most cost-effective and non-invasive way of treating small cracks and chips, as well as gaps between teeth. 

    The main alternatives to composite bonding are crowns and veneers. Crowns are usually recommended for teeth which have decayed or are severely fractured, as they involve placing a cap over the entire tooth. 

    Veneers are more resistant to staining because  they are made of porcelain; however, they are more expensive and involve removing a small amount of enamel from your tooth. While this should not damage the tooth, it can lead to tooth sensitivity. 

    If you have gaps between your teeth that are too big to be treated with composite bonding, we also offer Invisalign.

  • The bubbles in fizzy drinks can eventually cause composite bonding to wear down, even with excellent oral hygiene. We therefore suggest avoiding fizzy drinks if you have had composite bonding, or drinking them with a straw so that the liquid does not touch your teeth.

  • Yes - when you come for composite bonding treatment in Wirral, we will match the colour of the composite bonding with your natural tooth shade. 

    As composites cannot be whitened, if you are planning to have whitening treatment, we recommend whitening to your desired shade before the bonding.

Thomas Liu