Foods to Eat After Oral Surgery
Has your dentist recently scheduled you for an oral surgery cary nc and you are nervous about recovery? The best thing you can do to help yourself to bounce back quickly after oral surgery is to be prepared and follow your dentist’s instructions carefully. One of the specific instructions your dentist will give you is about what you can and cannot eat after surgery. Usually, these simple rules apply regardless of what kind of oral surgery you may be having. Individuals who are well prepared to follow these instructions usually have the smoothest recoveries. So what can you actually eat after surgery? Below are more tips to help you follow your dentist’s instructions and be prepared to bounce back quickly.
Recommended Food List
Dentists usually recommend soft foods that are easy to chew and break down for the few days after oral surgery. To avoid post-surgery misery, you should consider stocking your refrigerator with some of the following items:
- Healthy and hearty soups
- Non-citrus fruit juices
- Jell-O
- applesauce
- yogurt, either soft or frozen or ice cream
- mashed potatoes
- smoothies or protein shakes
- pasta
It may seem silly to plan ahead for meals post-surgery, but there really is nothing worse than having oral pain and swelling and being hungry as well. Some individuals even feel that cold foods, like ice-cream or popsicles not only curb your hunger pains, but also help soothe the oral pain that you may experience. Deciding to eat hard foods may not only cause pain, but also may do damage to the sensitive wounds and tissue in your mouth that need to heal.
In addition to a foods that are recommended or post-surgery, there is also a list of foods that should be avoided after surgery. The following foods are items that you should avoid eating for at least a week post-surgery:
- Spicy foods, including Mexican or Asian foods with a lot of spice
- Foods that are tough to chew, such as steak or chicken
- Popcorn, pretzels or chips that can get stuck in your teeth
- Crusty breads, bagels, or cookies that may be tough to chew
- Alcoholic beverages
The day of surgery you will have a specific list of instructions to be followed to help you prepare for your surgery and recover quickly and without complications. One of these instructions will most likely be to stick to clear foods and fluids, such as clear juices and broths. If you are given an anesthetic by your dentist during surgery you may want to be careful about when you progress to more substantial foods. After surgery, and
specifically after anesthetic, some individuals have sensitive stomachs and do not respond well to a big meal. Often this can result in getting sick and queasy. Getting sick and throwing up can be dangerous to your new wounds and potentially cause damage. The best thing you can do is to start with a small snack and see how the food settles in your stomach before progressing to a larger portion.
Learn More About Oral Surgery : How Long Does it Take to Recover from Oral Surgery?