What to Eat After a Root Canal: Foods That Help You Heal

Wait Until the Numbness Wears Off

The first rule has nothing to do with which food you pick. Do not eat anything until the numbness from the anaesthetic has fully gone, which usually takes two to four hours. While your lip, cheek, and tongue are still numb, you cannot feel them properly, and it is surprisingly easy to bite the inside of your cheek or your tongue without noticing until it is sore. Hot drinks are a risk too, because you will not feel a burn coming.

Stick to sips of water until the feeling comes back. Once you can feel your lip again, you are clear to eat, starting with something soft.

What to Eat for the First Day or Two

For the first day or two, aim for soft food at room temperature or just warm. You want things that need little or no chewing, so the treated tooth gets left alone while the tenderness settles. Good options include:

• Soup and broth, lukewarm rather than piping hot.
• Yoghurt, custard, and smoothies.
• Scrambled or soft-boiled eggs.
• Mashed potato, hummus, and well-cooked vegetables.
• Pasta, rice, and soft-cooked grains.
• Banana, avocado, and other soft fruit.

Chew on the opposite side from the treated tooth. There is no need to live on soup for a week; most people are back to fairly normal eating within a day or two, guided by comfort rather than a rule.

What to Avoid While the Tooth Heals

A tooth that has just had a root canal is more brittle than a healthy one until it is properly restored, and the gum around it is tender. A few things are worth avoiding until it settles, and some until the tooth has its permanent filling or crown:

• Hard and crunchy food like nuts, boiled sweets, crusty bread, and raw carrots, which can crack a weakened tooth.
• Sticky and chewy food like toffee, chewing gum, and soft caramel, which can pull out a temporary filling.
• Very hot or very cold food and drink, which can set off a sensitive tooth in the first few days.
• Crunchy or seedy items that lodge in the area, such as popcorn and small seeds.
• Alcohol, especially if you are taking painkillers or a course of antibiotics.

If it helps to have a rule of thumb: if you would not hand it to a toddler who is teething, give it a miss for a couple of days.

If You Have a Temporary Filling or Crown

Many root canals are finished with a temporary filling, with the permanent filling or crown fitted at a later visit. A temporary is meant to last weeks, not months, and it is softer than the final restoration, so it needs a little care. Keep chewing on the other side and steer well clear of sticky food that can lift it out.

If a temporary filling does come loose or fall out, it is not usually an emergency, but do let us know so we can replace it and keep the tooth sealed. The tooth is far better protected once it is restored properly, which is why a crown after a root canal is so often the sensible finish. If you want to see where the temporary fits into the overall process, the step-by-step of a root canal lays it out.

How Long Before You Can Eat Normally Again

Most people can eat more or less normally within a couple of days, using comfort as the guide rather than a fixed calendar. Some tenderness when biting is normal for a few days after treatment, and it settles as the gum around the tooth calms down. An over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen handles most of it.

If the tooth still hurts sharply when you bite a week or more later, that is worth a mention rather than something to eat around. Our guide to root canal recovery time covers what is normal and what is not, and which painkiller works best for tooth pain if you need it in the meantime.

When Discomfort Means You Should Call

Mild tenderness that fades day by day is exactly what you would expect. A few things are not, and they are worth a call rather than a change of menu:

• Pain that gets worse after a few days instead of better.
• Swelling of the gum, cheek, or face.
• A temporary filling or crown that has come out.
• A raised bite, where the treated tooth feels like it hits first when you close.
• A fever, or a bad taste that keeps coming back.

Most of these are straightforward to sort once we see you. If swelling is spreading across your face or into your neck, or you are having trouble swallowing or breathing, do not wait for us; go to a hospital emergency room, because that is an infection on the move.

If your tooth is not settling the way it should after a root canal, or a temporary has come out, call or WhatsApp 055-985-8845. We are in Ramat Beit Shemesh, open Sunday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with after-hours emergency treatment outside those hours. If you are weighing up the treatment itself, our root canal treatment page explains how we approach it.

For independent aftercare guidance, the American Association of Endodontists explains what to expect after root canal treatment, and the ADA's MouthHealthy covers how root canals work and heal.