How to eat after wisdom teeth removal?
How to eat after wisdom teeth removal? You may feel apprehensive about your diet if you’ve recently removed wisdom teeth. Following the advice below will help ease the discomfort and ensure you can eat as well as possible in the days following surgery. Call your dentist today if you have any questions about how to eat after wisdom teeth removal. But, first, look at what’s right and wrong with eating after wisdom teeth removal…
What foods should you eat after wisdom teeth removal?
There are the following things to remember when deciding what foods to eat after wisdom teeth removal:
- Your diet should be soft and easy to chew. This means avoiding crunchy, chewy, or also sticky foods.
- Choose foods high in protein and vitamins A and C. These nutrients will help your body heal and recover from surgery.
- Avoid hot or spicy foods, which can irritate your gums and delay healing.
- Please avoid carbonated beverages, which can cause bloating and pain.
- Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and help your body flush out the anesthesia.
- Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours after surgery.
What not to eat after wisdom teeth removal
You may be wondering how to eat after wisdom teeth removal. The first thing you should know is what not to eat. Avoid hard, crunchy, or chewy foods, as they irritate your wound and delay healing. Also, stay away from extremely hot or cold foods and spicy dishes. These can also cause discomfort. Instead, stick to soft foods like soup, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, and yogurt. Eating small and healthy meals frequently throughout the day is also recommended. With a little time and care, you’ll be back to eating normally in no time!
Wisdom teeth removal complications
Potential complications can occur after wisdom teeth removals, such as dry sockets, where the blood clot that forms in the extraction site dissolves, infection, pain, and bleeding. Contact your dentist or oral surgeon immediately if you experience these complications. In the meantime, here are a few tips for eating after wisdom teeth removal
Eating soft foods
- Start with soft, easily-digestible foods like soup, pudding, or oatmeal.
- Avoid any foods that are hard, crunchy, or sticky–you don’t want to irritate your gums or risk breaking open stitches.
- Clear acidic fruits and vegetables like oranges, tomatoes, and salty or spicy dishes.
- Stick to cooler temperatures–hot soups and drinks can aggravate healing tissue.
- When in doubt, err on caution and puree or chop your food into small pieces.
- Gradually add solid foods to your diet as you heal and feel comfortable doing so.
Soft foods that you can include in your diet after wisdom tooth removal include:
- Applesauce fruits (try baby food)
- Mashed soft fruit like bananas or avocado
- Steamed mashed carrot or cauliflower
- Steamed mashed pear, peach, or apple
- Warm (not hot) broth or cream soups
- Oatmeal, congee, porridge, or cream of wheat
- Scrambled eggs
- Smoothies
- Cottage cheese
- Milk
- Soft-cooked pasta or noodles
- Mashed fish
- Pudding
- Mashed potatoes
- Mashed cooked lentils, beans, or chickpeas
- Greek yogurt
- Ice cream or frozen yogurt
Foods to avoid
Wisdom teeth are the last molars to come in. They mainly appear between the ages of 18 and 25. Most people have four wisdom teeth, but it’s not uncommon to have fewer. Impacted wisdom teeth don’t have enough room to come in or grow properly. When this happens, it can cause pain, infection, and other problems. If your wisdom teeth are removed, it’s important to avoid certain foods during the healing process.
Here are the following foods to avoid after wisdom tooth removal:
- Spicy foods
- Crunchy and crumbly foods like chips or cookies
- Alcohol
- Chewy foods
- Most grains and seeds
Avoiding triggers
- Eating can be difficult and painful after removing your wisdom teeth. But there are many ways to make it easier on yourself.
- Avoid hard, crunchy, or chewy foods for the first few days. Stick to soft foods like mashed potatoes, soup, oatmeal, eggs, and yogurt.
- Gradually introduce other foods into your diet as you feel better. Avoid anything that might cause pain or bleeding.
- You might also want to avoid sugary and acidic foods, which can irritate your gums and delay healing.
- Drink plenty of fluids – but avoid using a straw, as the suction can irritate your gums.
When can you start eating normal foods again?
You may wonder when you can start eating normal foods again after your wisdom teeth have been removed. The answer is that it depends on how your surgery went and how your mouth is healing. Here are the following things to keep in mind:
- If your surgery is complicated or you have had many stitches, it will take longer for your mouth to heal. So you may need to stick to soft foods for a week or two.
- If your surgery is not too complicated and you don’t have many stitches, you may be able to start eating solid foods the next day.
- Pay attention to how your mouth feels. If it starts to hurt when you eat certain foods, stop eating them.
- Be careful with hot foods and drinks.
