Is it okay to eat rice after wisdom teeth removal

While you can get back to your normal, day-to-day routine after just a few days, it will take up to 2 weeks to fully heal and recover from a wisdom tooth extraction at Jackson Family Dentistry. 

Wondering what to expect after Dr. Ben Heffter or Dr. Pako Major removes your wisdom teeth? Read on, and we’ll provide you with a quick overview of the healing and recovery timeline.

Immediately After Surgery

Right after surgery, you’ll have gauze packs placed over your surgical sites to absorb blood. As blood clots form in your mouth, you may need to swap these a few times if they become soaked with blood. 

You will likely experience some pain or discomfort after your numbing and sedation wear off. You should drink plenty of clear liquids and eat a diet of liquid foods like milk, broth and thin soups, yogurt, and other such foods that don’t require chewing.

In addition, don’t use a straw or spit forcefully for at least 2-3 days. This could dislodge your blood clots. You can brush your teeth normally, but do not brush the extraction sites. Use a prescription oral rinse or salt water rinse to keep your extraction sites clean. 

1-3 Days After Surgery

During this time, you should avoid heavy exercise and exertion. After about 2-3 days, you can usually start eating slightly more solid foods like mashed potatoes, applesauce, pudding, and jello. 

Pain and discomfort tend to peak and then fade within 1-3 days after surgery. You may notice other symptoms like bruising, swelling, and inflammation around the extraction sites. This is normal.

3 Days To 1 Week After Surgery

The 3-7 days after your surgery will be when most of your pain, discomfort, and other symptoms will begin to fade. After a week, you will be able to eat more solid foods, but you should still avoid very tough and crunchy foods. You can eat things like pasta and rice.

You can also start brushing the extraction sites very gently after a week. Brush your other teeth normally, then gently brush the site to remove any food or other debris.

2 Weeks After Surgery 

About 2 weeks after surgery, your extraction site should feel almost completely normal. It may not look fully healed and it may be tender and sensitive to the touch, but otherwise, it should not interfere with your daily life at all.

You can go back to eating pretty much all of your favorite foods, and brushing and flossing your teeth normally. It will still take a bit longer for the underlying extraction site to fully heal, but this process will continue without you having to do anything special to care for your mouth.

Need Your Wisdom Teeth Removed In Jackson? Contact Us Today!

Having your wisdom teeth removed can be intimidating. But at Jackson Family Dentistry, Drs. Heffter and Major use the latest techniques and technology to simplify the process, and we offer sedation dentistry to keep you comfortable throughout your appointment. 

Contact us online or give us a call at (262) 677-3003 to schedule a consultation with Drs. Heffter and Major right away, and find out if your wisdom teeth need to be extracted.

When it comes to wisdom teeth removal, there are a lot of questions that people have about the process. One common question is when can you eat rice after wisdom teeth removal? Truthfully, as soon as you feel comfortable eating rice after surgery you are allowed to do so. In this article, we will discuss why you can eat rice after surgery, common myths about eating rice after wisdom teeth removal, and what to do to promote quick recovery after wisdom teeth removal.

• The Importance of Nutrition After Wisdom Teeth Removal
• So When Can I Start Eating Rice Then?
• Common Myths About Eating Rice After Wisdom Teeth Removal
• Stressing the Importance of Check-Up with a Dentist After Wisdom Teeth Removal

The Importance of Nutrition After Wisdom Teeth Removal

After having surgery, it is important to maintain a healthy diet in order to promote healing. Getting enough protein, vitamins, and minerals is essential for wound healing.

The reason rice is a good option for those who have had wisdom teeth removed is that it is a complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are a good source of energy and help to promote healing. In addition, rice is soft food that is easy to chew, which can be helpful when you are first starting to eat solid foods after surgery.

For these reasons, rice is absolutely fine to eat after wisdom teeth removal.

So When Can I Start Eating Rice Then?

You can start eating rice when you feel comfortable doing so. For most people, this will probably be as early as the day after surgery.

The key is to listen to your body’s own cues. If you are in pain when eating, stop, reassess, and try a different approach. You can also try pureeing the rice if it is too difficult to chew. In the days after surgery, bleeding is not uncommon and is typically not seen as a cue to stop unless it increases more than normal.

A good example of trusting your body is when wisdom teeth removal patients try eating steak. Steak is an extremely chewy and tough food and is likely to cause pain to the injury site. If you are feeling pain when trying to eat steak, it is best to listen to your body and put off eating that particular food until you have healed more.

Common Myths About Eating Rice After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Yes, it is true that after wisdom teeth removal your gums have likely been cut and need about a week to reattach. Yes, it is true that gum growth occurs at approximately 1 millimetre per day. However, this has created a strong worry among patients that you should avoid any foods that could potentially get stuck in your wisdom teeth stitches or extraction site while healing.

While it is true that rice can theoretically get stuck in the extraction site, this shouldn’t be a patient’s largest concern. In reality, any food has the potential to get stuck in your stitches if you are not careful.

Luckily, swallowing brings food to the back of your throat, not to the side of your teeth where it is likely to be caught. As long as you are careful when chewing and swallowing, you should be fine eating rice after surgery.

Once again, the main concern patients should have after wisdom teeth removal is eating enough food to maintain a healthy diet and promote healing.

Stressing the Importance of Check-Up with a Dentist After Wisdom Teeth Removal

It is important to have a follow-up appointment with your dentist after having your wisdom teeth removed.

Your dentist will check the area around your extraction sites to make sure that they are healing properly. They will also check to see if any food has gotten caught in the extraction area. We recommend that if you see anything stuck in your stitches, to avoid picking at it and instead bring it up with your dentist during your next appointment.

Haphazardly picking at the area can cause a dry socket, which is when the blood clot that forms in the extraction area is dislodged. A dry socket is extremely painful and can lead to further complications.

So, when can you eat rice after wisdom teeth removal? As soon as you feel comfortable doing so! Just be sure to listen to your body and follow up with your dentist.

Disclaimer

The contents of this website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be substituted for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Nothing on this website constitutes the practice of medicine, law or any other regulated profession.

No two mouths are the same and each oral situation is unique. As such it isn’t possible to give comprehensive advice or diagnose oral conditions based on articles alone. The best way to ensure you’re getting the best dental care possible is to visit a dentist in person for an examination and consultation.

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