Foods to Eat and Avoid After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

It's imperative to understand what to consume following wisdom tooth removal to prevent surgical problems. A healthy diet will hasten your recuperation, but an unhealthy diet raises your chances of infection and dry socket. Discover the "dos" and "don'ts" of eating following wisdom tooth removal surgery below.

After Wisdom Teeth Extraction: What You Can Eat

Following wisdom teeth extraction surgery, you must closely monitor your diet to prevent complications. During the healing process, your body requires the right nutrition to minimize swelling, encourage healing, and rebuild your strength. Before your surgery, make sure your kitchen is stocked with the correct meals by using the list below.

After your wisdom teeth extraction procedure, your surgical assistant will monitor you while you come to from the anesthesia in a recovery room. Having fasted before the procedure, you will likely be hungry, so as soon as you are released into your guardian's care, you should put food in your stomach.

First 24 Hours of a Liquid Diet Following Surgery

Follow a liquid diet for the first twenty-four hours, such as:

Bouillon

Warm stock

pureed and smooth soups

Drinks

Shakes made with milk

Greek yogurt

smooth peanut butter

beverages with nutritional supplements (For example, Glucerna, Carnation, Boost, etc.)

Pudding

Avoid using a straw for the first 48 hours after having a wisdom tooth extracted.  By doing this, you run the danger of displacing the blood clot that is growing over the extraction sites for your wisdom teeth and creating a suction vacuum inside your mouth. During recovery, avoid smoking and use a spoon while consuming milkshakes or smoothies.

The Soft Food Diet: A Shopping List to Help You Recover

You can transition to a soft food diet following the first twenty-four hours of recuperation. Among the foods in a soft food diet are:

Soft veggies steam-cooked

Pureed produce, apple sauce

Bananas

mashed potatoes

Avocado

cottage cheese

Not crispy, but soft bread

Pasta with Oats

Noodles

legumes

Eggs

Things Not to Consume While Recovering

Eating the wrong foods can impede the healing process and raise the chance of problems, much as nutrition is a crucial instrument in helping you recover. After having your wisdom teeth extracted, stay away from the following foods and drinks while you heal:

POPCORN

Acidic foods and beverages (vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice, etc.)

hot dishes

booze

Nuts, seeds, and small grains (such as rice, quinoa, poppyseed bagels, and sunflower seeds)

crunchy foods (chips, crackers, etc.)

Soft foods (such as jerky, taffy, etc.)

sugar-filled meals and beverages.

Never Smoke While You're Recovering

In addition to quitting smoking, you should abstain from using any type of oral tobacco or nicotine, including chewing, pouches, and vape pens. Tobacco and nicotine-containing products can impede the healing process and raise the risk of infection. After surgery, give other nicotine cessation methods, such as the patch, some thought for at least a week. While a full nicotine experience is ideal and advised for the best healing results.

Common Issues Following Wisdom Teeth Extraction

It is not typical for issues to develop following wisdom tooth extraction. However, if the extraction site reopens or if the blood clots are unable to completely form over it, problems may arise. From the most to the least frequent (respectively), potential side effects following wisdom tooth extraction surgery include:

Dry Socket Oral disease

injury to the nerves

Reaction allergic to

When blood is unable to clot over the extraction site, a condition known as a dry socket results. A throbbing ache where the exposed bone is in your jaw or gums is the worst sign of a dry socket. It may also leave your tongue tasting and smelling bad.

The procedure of extraction

Your teeth condition will determine the specifics of the wisdom tooth extraction procedure. Sometimes the extraction is as easy as extracting any other tooth, but other times the tooth has to be taken out in parts so as not to disrupt too much bone.

You might be given a local anesthetic for straightforward extractions, sedative anesthesia for more difficult extractions, or, if you're a nervous dental patient, a general anesthetic for the more involved treatments, depending on the length of the required surgery.

Usually, a cut is made into your gums to reveal your jawbone and tooth. When it minimizes harm to the surrounding bone, the tooth is either pulled in its whole or smaller portions after the bone around the root has been removed. The tooth socket is cleared of debris, and although it's not always necessary, the wound is frequently sutured up.

When to have wisdom teeth extracted

If wisdom teeth are causing issues, people of any age can have them pulled. The ideal age range, though, is between 18 and 24. When the wisdom tooth's root has grown to approximately two-thirds of its maximum length, that is the earliest time it can be safely removed. Depending on the patient, that could happen before or beyond the age of 18. By this age, the development of wisdom teeth is usually visible.

The upper guideline of 24 is a suggested cut-off age, after which wisdom teeth roots fully form and extraction becomes more difficult. You're still young enough to heal quickly at this age. When wisdom teeth are extracted at an advanced age, more complex surgery may be needed, which could lengthen your recovery period and increase the chance of complications.

To make an appointment for a consultation regarding wisdom teeth or any other oral healthcare need, please contact us. Online appointment requests are also accepted.