Tooth extractions are relatively painless these days. However, if you don’t take the proper post-operative steps, pain and discomfort can occur. Your diet is one of the most important things to watch after a tooth extraction. Some foods are more comfortable to eat than others. Furthermore, certain foods supply more nutrients to facilitate healing and help you return to normal more quickly. Meanwhile, some foods can cause pain, discomfort, and potential complications. This article explores several foods to eat after wisdom tooth removal and other tooth extraction procedures before covering some foods to avoid.
Foods to eat after a tooth extraction
Generally speaking, the best foods after a tooth extraction help accelerate healing and minimize complications by being gentler and easier to eat while supplying the nutrition your body needs to heal. Here are some broad types of food to consider:
1. Liquid sources of nutrients
In the first few days after extraction, it can be wise to stick to liquids and foods that don’t require chewing, such as:
- Healthy smoothies
- Protein shakes
- Vegetable juice
- Warm, pureed soup
- Gelatin
- Yogurt
Drink plenty of water as well. Hydration prevents dry mouth and even helps healing by helping to transport nutrients to wounds.
2. Soft foods with nutrients
Liquid diets aren’t ideal for long-term health and recovery, so you should shift to eating soft foods once tenderness and swelling start to subside. Naturally, you want to include soft foods containing plenty of nutrients to support healing and overall bodily health. Here are some good choices:
- Stew or soup with soft meats and veggies
- Soft vegetables
- Soft grains
- Banana slices
- Whole grain bread
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked beans
- Pasta (without any acidic sauces)
3. High-protein foods
Proteins are crucial to repairing damaged tissue and speeding up healing. Protein-rich foods give your body the amino acids it needs to craft the proper proteins for healing. Some healthy, extraction-friendly, protein-rich foods can include:
- Low-sugar yogurt (Greek yogurt has even more protein)
- Lean meat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Poultry
- Protein powder
- Hummus
Foods to avoid after a tooth extraction
Certain foods could cause damage, slow healing, accelerate bacteria buildup in the mouth, or create other complications post-op. Here are some of the top foods to avoid:
1. Hard, crunchy, and chewy foods
Hard and crunchy foods are much more difficult to eat after a tooth extraction since you won’t have one or more of your teeth. Furthermore, however, these foods can get stuck in the extraction site and reopen wounds, slowing healing and potentially leading to complications.
Chewy foods could get stuck between teeth or in the extraction site, interfering with healing and creating other problems. Some particular foods to avoid include:
- Apples
- Most candies
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Chips
- Hard grains, like cereal
- Popcorn
- Gum
- Caramel
2. Acidic and spicy foods
Acidic foods can cause pain in the extraction area by irritating the empty socket and slow the healing process. Some common acidic foods include:
- Citric fruits
- Peppers
- Tomatoes/tomato sauce
- Hot sauces
- Pickles
- Vinegar (such as vinegar-based dressings)
- Soft drinks
Many spicy foods tend to have high acidic content, too. Avoid spicy foods, such as hot sauce, chili peppers, garlic, and ginger.
3. Sugary foods
Sugar can feed bacteria in the mouth and potentially cause an infection at the extraction site. An infection may necessitate further procedures to prevent severe consequences and can slow down the healing process. In general, avoid sweets such as candies and desserts. If you still want to eat sweet foods, consider swapping for some sugar-free options, such as sugar-free ice cream.
4. Alcohol
Alcohol can cause several issues with tooth extraction recovery:
- Blood thinning: Alcohol thins the blood, potentially causing issues with the extraction site’s blood clot. This can lead to a painful dry socket, which can cause the blood clot to dislodge from the socket and slow recovery.
- Sugar: Some alcoholic drinks have a significant amount of sugar, which can lead to complications described earlier.
- Pain medication interactions: Drinking alcohol while taking certain pain medications can cause dangerous drug interactions in the body.
- Dry mouth: Alcohol can dehydrate the body, leading to dry mouth. This can accelerate bacterial growth and make eating more difficult than it already is post-extraction. Dehydration also slows recovery.
- Sleep problems: Alcohol worsens sleep quality. Lower sleep quality slows recovery.
The bottom line
Eating the right foods after a tooth extraction doesn’t just minimize pain and damage. It can actually speed up recovery. For the first few days, start on a healthy liquid diet, then shift to a diet of healthy, nutrient-rich soft foods. Ensure you eat lots of protein, so your body is flush with the nutrients needed to repair the extraction site. Meanwhile, avoid hard, crunchy, chewy, acidic, spicy, and sugary foods. Abstain from alcohol as well. All that said, speak to your dentist as well. They can help you develop an eating plan that speeds up healing and minimizes pain and discomfort.
Contact Information:
Name: Sonakshi Murze
Email: sonakshi.murze@iquanti.com
Job Title: Manager
