When can i start eating solids after wisdom teeth removal

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.

Even though we all love smoothies and ice cream, a common question our patients ask is, “When can I eat solid food after wisdom teeth removal?” Well, there are multiple factors at play here. How soon you’ll start eating solid foods mainly depends on the patient’s comfort level and how fast the healing process is progressing.

At Katy Cypress Oral Surgery & Implant Centre, our dentists and oral surgeons typically recommend waiting about a week before you resume eating solid food again after oral surgery. But it all comes down to how well you are following wisdom teeth removal aftercare. Let’s give a full read to learn more about the wisdom teeth removal recovery timeline and much more!

When Can You Eat Solid Foods Depends On How Well You Are Caring For Your Gums After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Caring for your gums after wisdom teeth extraction is crucial for better recovery without complications. As we know, wisdom teeth removal is a surgery performed at a dentist or oral surgeon’s office. Although most teeth can be removed without cutting or incisions, some impacted wisdom teeth require surgery to remove bone and other obstructions while removing large molars. You may also require extensive anesthesia and possibly sedation while undergoing wisdom teeth removal. This will allow you to get done with your procedure without feeling discomfort or pain.

Once your wisdom teeth are removed, your gums will have holes that need to heal. Your oral surgeon will likely fill and cover the extraction site to help keep it clean. Thus, restricting foods and drinks during the initial days of your teeth extraction recovery time. This will help reduce the risk of complications like infections and reduce irritation to the wounds. Therefore, knowing which foods you can eat after wisdom teeth removal is essential. The main idea is to minimize the risk of damage and help the extraction sites to heal faster.

For the first 1-2 days, eat only drinks and soft foods like ice cream, yogurt, and applesauce. Moreover, cold foods like ice cream and smoothies may help you with some of the discomforts. And as you start feeling better, you can try adding more solid foods gradually. On the third day after wisdom tooth extraction, you can add foods like toast, oatmeal, or eggs. You may also want to learn more about “What to eat and what not to eat after wisdom teeth removal?”

You can increase solid foods one by one if chewing doesn’t cause any pain. But if you do feel pain when chewing, it is advisable to go back to soft and semi-soft foods.

Take Away

When can you eat solid food after wisdom teeth removal? Generally, most people can resume a regular diet within a week. So if you take good care of your wound and follow your doctor’s instructions, you can likely eat solid foods again after one week of your wisdom teeth removal procedure.

How long after wisdom teeth removal can I eat normal food?

Ultimately, every patient can take a different amount of time to heal fully, and we encourage you to slowly introduce foods based on your comfort level. Most sockets take about 6 weeks to heal fully following dental surgery, and you should be back to mostly normal eating habits within 3-4 weeks post-procedure.

What can I eat 4 days after wisdom teeth removal?

Generally, you'll want to stick to liquids and soft, mushy foods for 3 to 5 days, including:.
Blended soups (easy to eat, nutrient-rich and hydrating).
Broths (full of essential vitamins and minerals to aid recovery).
Yogurt..
Pudding..
Smoothies..
Potatoes (mashed, sweet or regular).
Apple sauce..
Seedless, pureed fruit..

What can I eat 7 days after wisdom teeth removal?

You should eat only soft foods for the first week: for example, soups, eggs, mashed potatoes, and meatloaf are fine. For 2 weeks (8 weeks if you had lower wisdom teeth extracted), do not eat hard, crunchy, or very chewy foods, such as European breads, pizza crust, steak or jerky, nuts, or popcorn.