Wisdom teeth are often removed due to impaction or pain caused by crowding. For some people this third set of molars is able to grow in without complication, for many others surgical removal of the wisdom teeth is needed. After any surgical procedures there are special instructions that should be followed for health reasons and optimal healing; wisdom teeth removal is no exception to this rule. Since this surgery is done in the mouth it should come as no surprise that eating can be difficult for the first few days after the teeth are removed.
Some people choose to be overly cautious with their choices of foods and try to survive on ice chips, milk shakes, pudding and jell-o. This type of diet is not only going to quickly become boring, but it won’t provide your body with the nutrition you need to heal from your surgical procedure and bounce back to your normal self as quickly as you should. While you will want to be careful of your food choices for 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 will require you to suck or slurp so that you don’t cause dry socket. Foods that are highly acidic can be a problem as well. Citric acid is hard on the mouth and especially the gums. Put off this type of food for a week or two.
Protein is important for the body to heal itself. You can get protein from eating meat, beans, lentils, brown rice and nuts. Since your mouth is going to be sore you won’t want to eat meat that you will have difficulty chewing. Start off 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. For the first week you might want to utilize beans and brown rice as your protein sources. Beans are great in soups.
Vegetables are high in vitamin content and should be included as well. 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 your surgical site after having your wisdom teeth removed.
Fruits are another important part of your diet. Eating applesauce and other fruit purees is possible after having your wisdom teeth extracted. Eating these and drinking fruit juices can help you to get your daily requirements of fruits. Making choices that aren’t too high in citric acid is important as the acids can be harmful to your mouth.
Dairy is the group that many people tend to cover with ice-cream and pudding. These aren’t the best choices you can make although they are easy to manipulate after you have an extraction done. Better choices 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 keeping your bacteria balance correct in your body if you are on antibiotics and it is high in protein and calcium and usually comes with a bit of fruit as well.
Choosing foods from all of the food groups is important. Breads and grains might not be as easy during the first day or two but breads and cereals as well as soft pastas are not that difficult to eat after having teeth removed. Start with soft foods and work your way up as your body allows. It is probably not a good idea to order a Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza a couple hours after the surgery but if you feel capable this is an acceptable food as well. 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 as you are able.
