SAEDNEWS: Can a person who is fasting visit the dentist or have a tooth extracted? Does getting a dental filling invalidate the fast? Read on to find answers to these common questions.
According to Saednews, Do dental procedures such as tooth extraction, root canal treatment, local anesthesia, and dental fillings invalidate the fast?
In general, dental procedures such as injecting local anesthetic into the gums, extracting teeth, filling cavities, and other treatments performed by a dentist on the teeth and gums are not among the ten acts that invalidate fasting.
Imam Khomeini stated:
“It is obligatory precaution to refrain from using injections that serve as a substitute for food. However, injections that numb a part of the body or are used as medicine are permissible.”
One possible side effect of dental treatment is the presence of blood and other fluids in the mouth. Deliberately swallowing blood or other fluids can invalidate the fast, whereas swallowing them unintentionally does not invalidate it.
According to the opinions of religious authorities, tooth extraction and procedures that cause bleeding in the mouth, as well as unnecessarily allowing water or other liquids to circulate in the mouth, are considered disliked (makruh) during fasting.
Even when a dentist applies a temporary dressing to a tooth, accidentally swallowing material from the dressing does not invalidate the fast. Such dressings may gradually dissolve in saliva, and their astringent taste may even be noticeable in the mouth.
Question 196: On most days, my saliva mixes with blood from my gums. Sometimes I am unsure whether the saliva I swallow contains blood. What is the ruling regarding my fast in this situation?
Answer: If the blood from the gums becomes assimilated into the saliva, it is considered ritually pure, and swallowing it is permissible and does not invalidate the fast. Likewise, if you are unsure whether your saliva contains blood, swallowing it is permissible and does not affect the validity of your fast.
If nothing enters the throat, there is no problem. However, if a person knows that something will enter the throat, they should not visit the dentist while fasting unless there is a necessity or significant hardship. In such a case, if something enters the throat, making up the fast later is sufficient, and no expiation (kaffarah) is required.
If a person takes precautions but unintentionally swallows something, their fast remains valid.
If something enters the throat without the person's awareness or intention, the fast remains valid.
If tooth pain is tolerable, visiting the dentist is not permissible when the person knows that water or other substances will reach the throat. If something enters the throat, the person must make up the fast and also pay expiation (kaffarah).
If water or other substances enter the throat unintentionally, the fast remains valid. However, a fasting person should not go somewhere if they know that something will enter their throat.
Tooth extraction and the injection of local anesthesia during Ramadan are generally permissible and do not, in themselves, invalidate the fast. However, swallowing blood or saliva mixed with blood may affect the validity of the fast, depending on the circumstances and the applicable religious ruling.
The office responsible for answering religious questions on behalf of Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi has also stated that visiting a dentist during Ramadan is permissible. Tooth extraction is considered disliked while fasting, and local anesthesia is permissible. In general, however, care must be taken to prevent substances from entering the throat.
