Wisdom teeth are often extracted due to impaction or pain caused by crowding. For some people, this third set of molars can grow without complications, for many others surgical removal of the wisdom teeth is necessary. After any surgical procedure there are special instructions that must be followed for health reasons and optimal healing; Wisdom tooth extraction is no exception to this rule. Since this surgery is performed in the mouth, it should come as no surprise that eating can be difficult for the first few days after tooth extraction.
Some people choose to be overly cautious with their food choices and try to survive on ice chips, shakes, pudding, and Jell-O. Not only will this type of diet get boring quickly, it will not provide your body with the nutrition it needs to recover from your surgical procedure and get back to its normal self as quickly as it should. While you’ll want to be careful about your food choices during the first week, you still want to have the nutrients your body needs. To do this, make your choices carefully from each food group. Do not choose foods that require you to suck or sip so as not to cause dry socket. Foods that are very acidic can also be a problem. Citric acid is hard on the mouth and especially on the gums. Postpone these kinds of foods for a week or two.
Protein is important for the body to heal itself. You can get protein by eating meat, beans, lentils, brown rice, and nuts. Since your mouth is going to be sore, you don’t want to eat meat that is difficult for you to chew. Start with creamy peanut butter on soft bread or beans. Refried beans are great with flour tortillas, and a bowl of beans makes a great side dish. During the first week, you may want to use beans and brown rice as protein sources. Beans are great in soups.
Vegetables are high in vitamins and should also be included. If you cook your vegetables they are softer and easier to chew. Cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and other soft cooked vegetables can be eaten without causing discomfort or damage to the surgical site after having your wisdom teeth removed.
Fruits are another important part of your diet. It is possible to eat applesauce and other fruit purees after having your wisdom teeth removed. Eating these and drinking fruit juices can help you get your daily fruit needs. It’s important to choose options that aren’t too high in citric acid, as the acids can be harmful to your mouth.
Dairy products are the group that many people tend to cover with ice cream and pudding. These are not the best choices you can make, although they are easy to manipulate after you perform an extraction. The best options are cottage cheese and milk. String cheese (or mozzarella) is another food that is easy to chew and is high in calcium and protein. Yogurt can be helpful in maintaining the correct bacterial balance in your body if you are taking antibiotics and is high in protein and calcium and usually comes with some fruit as well.
It is important to choose foods from all the food groups. Breads and cereals may not be as easy on the first day or two, but breads and cereals, as well as soft pastas, are not that difficult to eat after teeth extraction. Start with soft foods and increase as your body allows. It’s probably not a good idea to order a Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza a couple hours after surgery, but if you feel up to it, this is also an acceptable meal. If you want your healing time to be reduced, eat soft foods for the first two to three days and work into your regular diet however you can.