When our oral surgeons sit down with patients during an initial wisdom teeth removal consultation, they review every aspect of the surgery, including the recovery period. While recovery is often overlooked by patients, it is one of the most important aspects of wisdom teeth removal. During your recovery, your diet will be temporarily limited to allow your gums and surrounding tissue to heal properly. No need to worry—it won’t be long before you’ll be visiting your favorite Naperville eatery and back to eating solid foods again.
Diet Restrictions Immediately Following Wisdom Teeth Removal
Many patients believe that a diet full of milkshakes and ice cream is “just what the doctor orders” after wisdom teeth removal. However, while the occasional treat is okay, our oral surgeons recommend that patients eat nourishing foods during their recovery—even immediately after their surgery, so long as they can be eaten with comfort.
Be careful to avoid any foods that are extremely hot, crunchy, or spicy as these can irritate the surgical sites and cause discomfort. Instead, consider foods that are soft or liquid for the first 24 hours after wisdom teeth removal. Remember, in order to avoid dry socket, do not drink any liquids through a straw, as this could dislodge the needed blood clots from the empty sockets in your jaw.
Within about a week, you may gradually increase your intake of solid foods. Again, only eat what feels comfortable, and stop eating and make changes if you begin to experience any discomfort or pain.
No matter the stage of recovery you’re in, it’s important that you not skip any meals. Eating on a regular schedule improves the recovery period as patients feel better, gain strength faster, and have less discomfort when nourishment is taken in. Foods that are high in nutritional value such as soups, puddings, yogurt, eggs, applesauce, or flaky fish are recommended.
Preparing for Wisdom Teeth Removal
Oral and Facial Surgery of Naperville recommends that wisdom teeth removal patients plan ahead and prepare their pantry and fridge with the right types of foods before they come in for their surgery. This will ensure you have what you need available and easily accessible while you recover at home. Remember, keep the nutritional value high and balance your intake of protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats and carbs so your recovery period will go smoothly.
Call Our Naperville Office with any Questions
If you find you have questions or concerns about the wisdom teeth removal process, or the recovery period afterward, please do not hesitate to call Oral and Facial Surgery of Naperville. Our entire staff values your safety and wellbeing, and if you are concerned, we want to know. You can reach a member of our team in Naperville by calling (630) 961-5151 today.
March 15, 2022
Many people who undergo a tooth extraction procedure wonder how long they have to wait until they begin eating regular food, especially solid foods like meat, cereals, and legumes. After tooth extraction, many dentists recommend that a patient wait for a considerable amount of time until they begin eating solid foods. It is imperative to follow the dentist’s instructions as this gives time for your wound after tooth extraction to heal and this reduces also reduces infection in the wound and the surrounding area. In addition, firm or sharp solid foods can harm the healing site or potentially dislodge the blood clot, resulting in a dry socket. Town Dental- Excelsior looks at how long you should wait before eating solid foods and what foods to consume after tooth extraction.
Why Do You Need A Tooth Extraction?
A dentist may prescribe a tooth extraction for various reasons, including impaction, dental decay, periodontal and gum disease, trauma, or tooth crowding.
Impaction occurs when one teeth grows and pushes directly against another. This can cause infection and swollen gums, which can also bleed. When you notice these symptoms, it is recommended to look for tooth extraction near you where your dentist can either recommend tooth removal or another option.
Tooth decay can spread in your tooth, causing intense pain, redness and swelling. When a tooth reaches this stage, it may be necessary to extract it all together. In addition, tooth extraction will help prevent infection to the other teeth.
Teeth are frequently among the first to be damaged after an accident. An accident might sometimes result in a tooth becoming too damaged to salvage. If this is the case, tooth extraction will be required as rehabilitation. Otherwise, a broken tooth might get seriously infected, necessitating a surgery like a root canal, which can be quite painful.
Aside from causing discomfort, tooth impaction can also result in overcrowding, causing previously straight and well-aligned smiles to become crooked. Removing the troublesome teeth in the rear of the mouth might allow the other teeth to expand out as needed.
How Long After Tooth Extraction Can You Eat Solid Food?
Even though tooth extraction is a relatively safe treatment, proper aftercare is essential for a speedy recovery. In addition, food plays a vital part in post-operative care. Therefore, you should understand when, what, and how to eat after having a tooth extracted to ensure that you do not do anything that slows or delays the healing process, or worse, causes issues.
You should normally forgo solid food for just 24 hours following your tooth extraction in Excelsior, MN, after which you may be able to resume eating again.
It is advisable to look for a dentist near you who can give particular feeding guidelines since they vary depending on the sort of treatment you’ve had and your recovery time. But keep in mind that it’s always better to err on the side of caution than to risk inflicting harm!
The amount of time taken before you can eat solid foods can also depend on the number of teeth you have had removed during one procedure. For instance, a patient who has severe tooth decay may have multiple teeth extracted, and therefore they have to wait longer before they can eat solid foods.
What to Eat After Tooth Extraction?
Within the first 24 hours after tooth removal surgery, you should avoid consuming anything that involves chewing. Try to limit yourself to liquids exclusively. If they don’t fill you up and you want to consume solid food, go for soft meals that don’t need much chewing, like pudding or oatmeal.
It is also important to note that you should not use a straw after the tooth extraction. While drinking with a straw may appear to be a more convenient method of eating liquid food, the suction created by the straw might dislodge the blood clot in your wound, resulting in bleeding, discomfort, and a delay in healing.
You can start to eat soft foods that need little chewing 24 hours after tooth removal. However, you should be careful not to eat from the side of the procedure as this may cause some pain.