If you’re having a tooth extracted at Downey Park Family Dentistry, you may be wondering what you can eat after your extraction. Dr. Corey Acree will give you a full set of instructions to follow as you recover, but we’ve also put together this blog to give you an idea of what your diet will look like after your appointment. Read on, and learn more about what you should (and shouldn’t) eat while you’re healing from a tooth extraction in Modesto.
After your appointment, you can eat as soon as your mouth no longer feels numb. We don’t recommend eating when your mouth is numb, since you could bite yourself accidentally or burn yourself with hot food.
In general, you’ll want to stick to foods that require no chewing, or liquid foods if at all possible. Your mouth will likely be tender and stiff during this time, so this is the easiest way to get the nutrition you need as you recover. A few of our top recommended foods right after your extraction include:
Also, make sure you avoid using a straw during the first two days after your extraction. Straws can dislodge the blood clot in your extraction site, causing a painful complication called “dry socket.”
After a few days, you’ll be able to eat foods that require a bit more chewing. You can continue to eat liquid foods and foods that require no chewing, but you can also introduce foods that require a bit more chewing, like:
Every patient recovers differently. After about five days, you can begin expanding your diet and eating some harder foods, including veggies such as apples and carrots and tougher cuts of meat, such as steak and pork. However, use your best judgment and listen to your mouth. If it hurts or is uncomfortable to eat a certain food, you should continue to avoid it.
In addition, we do recommend avoiding really, hard, sharp, and crunchy foods for at least a week. Early on, sharp and crunchy foods like tortilla chips can damage your extraction site. And, even once it’s started to heal, shards of food can still poke and irritate the area. You can start trying to eat these foods between 7-14 days after your surgery.
If you need to have one or more of your teeth extracted, Dr. Acree and the team at Downey Park Family Dentistry are here to help. Our Modesto dentists offer gentle tooth extractions, and we also can provide you with dental sedation for your comfort. With our caring approach to dental care, you can get the treatment you need in a safe, welcoming environment. Give us a call at (209) 529-0674 to schedule your appointment today, or feel free to contact us online if you need more information about our Modesto dental office.