Are you looking forward to having oral surgery? If yes, you probably wonder about post-surgery care and what to eat after your oral surgery. Your post-surgery diet plays a crucial role in making it a success. In other words, knowing which foods to eat after oral surgery is vital for a quick and smooth recovery. For this purpose, our Katy Cypress Oral Surgery experts are here to answer your question about the post-surgery diet. Let’s get started!
Why Following Post-Surgery Diet Is Necessary?
We understand that hearty meals are tempting for most of us. But after oral surgery, like wisdom tooth removal, dentists and oral surgeons highly recommend eating only soft foods for the first few days. The primary purpose behind it is to prevent damage to your teeth, gums, and other dental work. Moreover, eating only softs foods – as suggested by your oral surgeon – reduces irritation in the surgical area. That’s why it is necessary to eat soft foods after oral surgery. But don’t worry; we have some great options for a soft food diet after your surgery. With them, you can soothe your taste buds while staying on the road to a quick recovery!
Which Foods You Can Eat After Oral Surgery?
Dairy
You can eat creamy or dairy foods after your oral surgery since they don’t require any chewing. Foods like ice cream, yogurt, eggs, and smoothies are easy to eat after your oral surgery.
Fruits
Soft, juicy fruits don’t really require much chewing. These foods are generally the best type of foods you can eat after dental surgery. Moreover, they are good for your teeth and overall health because of all the nutrition they offer. These fruits include banana, applesauce, mangoes, and peach. You can also add a fruit smoothie to your post-surgery diet.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are necessary for a healthy, balanced diet. Various options, like cheese, thin pasta, and pancakes, can be a good carbohydrate source. You can also include oatmeal, rice pudding, and wheat cream to your diet. But ensure these meals don’t require too much chewing. This is because hard-to-chew foods can cause irritation to your wound.
Vegetables
Vegetables should never be neglected even after an oral surgery. But add only soft veggies to your diet plan for the first few days. You can use juicy or mashed cauliflower served at room temperature along with other soft vegetable options. But just make sure the less chewing it requires, the better it is for your quick recovery.
Foods to Avoid After Oral Surgery
Now that you know what foods you can eat after oral surgery, there are some foods that you must avoid. This is because these foods can possibly irritate your surgical site and prolong your recovery time. Therefore, you should know which foods to avoid until you completely recover from your oral surgery.
Foods not to eat after oral surgery includes:
- Acidic or spicy foods, which can irritate your wound
- Alcohol: as it can affect certain medications adversely
- Seeds, popcorns, chips, nuts, and other hard-to-chew food items that can stick in the surgical area.
Furthermore, if you smoke, you should avoid tobacco consumption for at least 72 hours following your oral surgery. This is because tobacco can severely damage your surgical site, cause infection, and prolong healing time.
Gradual Return to Your Normal Diet
After taking good care of your oral health following your surgery, your oral surgeon will let you know when it’s the right time to return to your regular diet. You can then start adding chips, cereals, etc. But make sure that is gradual. The time to start your regular diet again varies from case to case and the type of oral surgery you had. Talk to our dentists at Katy Cypress Oral Surgery for more details. Call us at 281-667-0607.