Patients who have their wisdom teeth removed often need to adjust their normal routines for a brief time after the procedure. In particular, you are likely to find that you will need to modify your diet for a few days as you begin to heal.
During this time, it’s best to avoid foods that are crunchy or difficult to chew. You may find it uncomfortable to eat these foods, and they can disrupt the healing process as well. Good rules to follow for the first week post tooth extraction are, you should not be eating any foods that you can hear while chewing, and you should not be eating any foods that you need to cut with a knife.
Your oral surgeon will give you more thorough, specific instructions, but here is a listing of some of the foods that you may be able to eat after wisdom tooth extraction: ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies, mashed potatoes, applesauce, yogurt, cottage cheese, pasta dishes, scrambled eggs and instant oatmeal.
Soups can also be a good choice for patients who have just had their wisdom teeth removed, but ask your oral surgeon if you have any restrictions on eating very hot foods.
Try to enjoy as much variety in your foods as possible. If you eat only one or two things during this time period, you may get tired of them and not want to eat them in the future as well as not receive a balanced nutritional intake.
In addition to dietary changes, your oral surgeon may give you other post-operative instructions. You may need to refrain from strenuous, highly aerobic activity. You may also need to add a gentle prescription mouth rinse to keep your mouth clean or need to take a prophylactic antibiotic, for example. Follow these instructions closely to ensure as smooth a healing process as possible.
The surgeon will also give you a listing of the signs of complications that can occur after wisdom tooth extraction. If you develop any of these symptoms, contact our office as soon as possible so that we can determine how to best address the issue.
Patients who have their wisdom teeth removed will need to eat primarily softer foods for the first week after the surgery. Contact our office to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members for some options if you have any questions about what you can eat.