Eating After a Simple Extraction
Following your tooth extraction surgery, for a day or two, do your best to avoid eating anything other than soft foods, like scrambled eggs and jello. After a couple of days, when you feel comfortable, you can reintroduce solid foods, just not too crunchy, chewy, spicy, or sticky.
When Can You Eat After a Tooth Extraction
A tooth extraction surgery will leave your mouth tender and sore, and there will be at least one or even more open wounds in your gums. Any foods that are either hot or very cold, crunchy, sticky, or spicy, should be avoided for at least a few days.
It is quite often advised that if you have had a tooth removed you maintain a soft-food diet for 24-48 hours. After that, you can introduce normal foods back into your diet.
Eating After Wisdom Teeth Removal Versus Regular Teeth Removal
Whether you are having a wisdom tooth removed or a regular tooth, the procedure, as well as the recovery, will be quite similar, depending on the difficulty in removing the wisdom tooth.
Is A Wisdom Tooth Removal More Difficult
Wisdom teeth can be more difficult at times to remove because they are further back in the mouth and might not even be visible. If the wisdom tooth did not erupt properly, and is impacted beneath a layer of skin, as compared to a normal tooth, which is near the front and fully erupted. You may now need a surgical extraction instead of a simple extraction, which will then take longer to heal.
What to Eat Immediately After a Tooth Extraction
Simply try to avoid eating anything for the first four hours after the extraction to give your body a chance to form a blood clot, which is a crucial part of the healing process.
You also should avoid spitting, rinsing, and sucking on a straw as these motions will dislodge the blood clot.
Can You Eat When Your Mouth is Still Numb
It is wise to not eat when your mouth is still numb from any anesthetic. If any part of your mouth is numb, you could bite your tongue or cheek and not realize it.
What to Eat in the First 24 to 48 hours
Your mouth will be tender, and the extraction site will be sensitive. You need to avoid anything which requires excessive chewing. Discomfort or pain after a tooth extraction is common, but food may certainly escalate it. Try to avoid the following:
- Extremely hot or very cold foods or drink.
- Acids, like citrus fruits or fizzy drinks.
- Spicy food like chilies or spicy wings.
- Crunchy food like nuts, corn chips, or apples.
- Food with seeds.
- Crumbly food, like biscuits.
- Sticky food, like chewing gum or toffee.
- Chewy foods, like some meats.
During this time, you should be on a soft-food diet. This simply means food which does not require much chewing and is not too extreme. Smoothies, scrambled eggs, mashed potato, and yogurt are excellent examples of soft foods. Avoid spitting, rinsing, or sucking during the first 24 hours.