When can you eat normal food 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.

When can you eat normal food after wisdom teeth removal

At Hill Country Oral Surgery, we understand that wisdom teeth removal can be a complicated procedure. It involves a minor surgery that can be distressing for many patients and has a recovery time that can last up to seven days. During this time, patients usually feel discomfort. They need to modify many aspects of their routine, including work, leisure, and physical activity. Still, we consider that the most drastic changes are usually made in patients’ diets.

Although each patient is different and our surgeon will give specific recommendations according to the particular case, as a general rule, we advise patients to wait at least seven days to incorporate solid foods into their diet. Hard foods can interfere with recovery and disrupt the healing process, and as the main idea of this diet is to enable patients to go back to normal as soon as possible, we strongly recommend those who undergo this procedure follow this advice.

Why Do I Need to Avoid Solids After the Surgery?

The reason is simple: solid foods can injure the recovery site provoking pain, bleeding, or even the dislodge of the blood clot. This latter scenario is the one that worries dentists the most. The blood clot has a crucial role in the wound’s healing process, and if it is accidentally dislodged, it can lead to a dry socket, a painful infection that can make patients see the stars.

Luckily, you can avoid this shooting pain and prevent all these inconveniences by following a soft diet for a week (or until the wound is completely healed). This might be challenging and a bit unhandy, but it is the only way to ensure effective healing.

What Can I Eat in the Meantime?

We always provide some guidance regarding what to eat or drink after an extraction. At first, cold or warm (not hot) soft foods are recommended, like smoothies, soup, jelly, yogurt, and mashed potatoes. Ice cream is also highly advisable, as the cold can also help reduce inflammation and pain.

As the wound heals and you feel better, you can slowly introduce other foods to your diet, like oatmeal and scrambled eggs. You should always monitor how you feel after the meals and then evaluate if you’re doing fine or would rather go back to softer foods.

A few more recommendations…

Besides solids, other foods and habits can dislodge the blood clot and interrupt the healing process. It would be best if, after surgery, you avoid:

  • smoking
  • using a straw
  • chewing gum
  • strong physical activity
  • lifting heavyweight
  • whistling

If you are looking to have your wisdom teeth removed, or still have some doubts about post-op indications or the procedure itself, contact our team! Our dentists will explain the step-by-step in detail and answer all your questions.

How long after wisdom teeth removal Can I eat normally?

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 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.

What can I eat 4 days after wisdom teeth removal?

What can I eat 4 days after wisdom teeth removal? After a few days, you should be able to gradually introduce more solid foods into your diet. Some good options include oatmeal, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, cooked vegetables, and finely chopped meat. Naturally, it's still crucial to avoid hard, crunchy foods.