Dental care during Ramadan: planning appointments and protecting your teeth

Can you have dental treatment during Ramadan?

Medically speaking, yes: most dental treatment can continue during Ramadan, provided the timing is well chosen and the tiredness that comes with fasting is taken into account. A scale and clean, a check-up or a filling can be scheduled without any particular difficulty; more extensive surgery is best planned before or after the month where possible.

Fasting changes several things in the mouth:

• less saliva during the day, so less natural protection against acids;
• meals concentrated in the evening and night, often sweeter;
• shorter sleep, which sometimes means the evening brush is forgotten;
• medication times that have to fit around two meals.

This article is practical: it aims to help you organise appointments, protect your teeth and know when not to wait. Religious questions, on the other hand, are not for the dentist to answer, as explained below.

Religious questions: who should you ask?

Many patients wonder whether an anaesthetic, a rinse, the water used during treatment or brushing with toothpaste is compatible with fasting. These questions call for a religious opinion, not a medical one. We give no answer on this point: please ask a scholar or a religious authority you trust.

What the dentist can do is describe exactly what each procedure involves, so that you can ask your question with full information:

• local anaesthesia is an injection into the gum, with nothing swallowed;
• rotary and ultrasonic instruments spray water, which is continuously removed by a suction tube;
• a rinse may be offered at the end of treatment;
• some products (gel, polishing paste) have a taste;
• some bleeding can occur with scaling or an extraction.

If you wish, mention at the start of the appointment that you are fasting: the dentist will take it into account when organising the treatment, within the limits of what remains safe and effective for your health.

Before the month: a good time for a check-up

The weeks before Ramadan are an ideal time to take stock. A visit then makes it possible to:

• have a scale and clean and check the condition of your gums;
• treat early decay before it becomes painful in the middle of the month;
• finish ongoing treatment (a root canal, a temporary crown that needs replacing);
• plan a wisdom tooth extraction or surgery on a date that leaves time to heal, including hydration and diet;
• renew prescriptions and discuss how to adjust the timing of medicines.

Planning ahead is especially useful if a tooth is already bothering you a little: sensitivity to cold, bleeding gums or a tooth that reacts to sweet things tend to get worse as sugary snacks multiply in the evenings. Our page on treating tooth decay explains how an early cavity is simply treated.

During the month: choosing your appointment time

The right slot depends on how well you tolerate fasting and on the type of treatment:

• in the morning, many patients feel more alert: the last meal is recent and tiredness has not yet set in;
• late afternoon, just before iftar, hunger, thirst and lower concentration make long treatments less comfortable, and some people feel faint;
• after iftar, some prefer to come once they have rehydrated, when evening slots are available.

Practice opening hours may change during Ramadan: check when you book.

Some situations need particular care:

• diabetes, especially with insulin or certain tablets, carries a risk of low blood sugar while fasting; tell the dentist, and discuss fasting itself with your doctor;
• medicines taken at fixed times (anticoagulants, heart medication) must never be changed on your own;
• after an extraction, a painkiller or antibiotic can be prescribed on a schedule that fits around two meals: tell the dentist, who will choose a suitable regimen.

Oral hygiene between iftar and suhoor

The principle is the same as the rest of the year: two careful brushes a day with fluoride toothpaste, plus cleaning between the teeth. Only the timing changes:

• brush after iftar, ideally after the last food or drink of the evening, before going to bed;
• brush after suhoor, before the fasting day begins;
• use floss or interdental brushes in the evening, when you have more time;
• gently clean your tongue to limit deposits.

A Moroccan iftar is generous with sugar: dates, chebakia, sellou, fruit juices, well-sweetened mint tea. It is not so much the quantity as the frequency that harms teeth: nibbling and sipping sweet tea all evening keeps the mouth acidic for hours. It is better to group sweet treats into one or two moments, drink water in between, and keep brushing for the end of the evening.

The siwak (miswak), widely used during the month, can complement hygiene if used gently, without scrubbing the gums. It does not replace a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, nor cleaning between the teeth.

Breath and dry mouth while fasting

Stronger breath during the day is normal when fasting: saliva decreases, the mouth goes a long time without being rinsed by food and drink, and deposits form on the tongue. This is temporary and disappears after the month.

Three habits help to limit it:

• brush your teeth and tongue well after suhoor;
• drink enough water between iftar and suhoor, rather than tea or coffee, which dry the mouth;
• at suhoor, cut down on very salty dishes, garlic and onion, which increase both odour and thirst.

If the odour is strong despite good hygiene, or continues after Ramadan, another cause should be looked for: inflamed gums, decay, tartar, or a non-dental origin. Our article on bad breath covers these causes and what the dentist does. A check-up after the month is often a good opportunity to review things.

Dental emergencies during Ramadan in Rabat

Toothache does not follow the calendar, and some situations should not wait until the end of the month:

• a swollen cheek or gum, especially with fever;
• severe pain that wakes you at night or does not respond to your usual painkillers;
• a broken or displaced tooth after a knock;
• bleeding that will not stop after an extraction.

Delaying treatment so as not to interrupt the fast can allow an infection to progress. Do not double your painkillers at iftar to make up for the day either: stick to the prescribed dose. In an emergency, our dental emergency in Rabat page explains how to reach us.

At German Dental Clinic in Agdal, appointments during the month are organised with each patient's fast in mind: length of treatment, time of day, and any medicines to adjust with your doctor. For a check-up before Ramadan or a review after Eid, you can book an appointment.