What Can I Eat After Dental Implant Surgery? Our Tips For Recovery

If you’ll be getting a dental implant at Cardinal Family Dentistry soon, or you’ve already received a dental implant, you may be wondering what you should eat while you heal and recover from surgery. In this blog, we’ll discuss our dietary recommendations as well as a few other healing and recovery tips from Dr. Sarah S. Barker.

The Best Foods To Eat After Your Dental Implant Surgery

After dental implant surgery, stick to any type of soft food that doesn’t require a lot of chewing. For the first day after your treatment, you should only eat very soft or liquid foods. This helps prevent you from chewing on your mouth or biting your tongue due to the numbing agents used during your surgery.

Immediately after surgery, we recommend eating smoothies, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, applesauce, mashed potatoes, creamy soups and broth, and other such soft/liquid foods.

Then, for about the next week, you can move on to foods that may require a little bit more chewing, like macaroni and cheese, pancakes, rice, soft bread, cooked vegetables, eggs, and pasta.

After 1-2 weeks, you may be able to start adding tough and chewy foods back into your diet, such as meat and fibrous, raw vegetables. This depends on how quickly you heal, however. You should also avoid chewing on the side of your mouth with the implant for at least 2 weeks. 

Other Tips For Healing After Implant Placement 

Want to make sure you heal quickly after your implant? Healing times vary from person to person, but here are some general guidelines that can help you recover more quickly. 

• Don’t skip meals – Especially during the first few days when you may feel a lot of pain or be nauseous, you may want to skip meals. But proper nutrition is essential for keeping you healthy and strong, so do your best to eat consistently and get enough food each day.
  
  
• Drink plenty of water – Staying hydrated helps keep your body healthy, and will help you feel better after your surgery.
  
  
• Don’t exercise for a few days – For at least 2-3 days, we recommend avoiding exercise, or heavy exertion in general, like moving heavy boxes or furniture. This will help minimize bleeding and discomfort.
  
  
• Take care of your mouth – Starting 24 hours after your surgery, rinse your mouth with salt water in the morning, after each meal, and before bed. You can also start brushing, but don’t brush the surgical site directly until Dr. Barker says you can do so at your follow-up appointment.
  
  
• Never smoke or use tobacco products – Smoking and using oral tobacco can impair healing and even cause complete implant failure. Never smoke or use tobacco products of any kind as you heal from implant surgery.
  

Follow Dr. Barker’s Instructions For A Smooth Dental Implant Healing Process

When you get a dental implant at Cardinal Family Dentistry, Dr. Barker will provide you with a comprehensive set of recovery instructions to follow while you recover. Follow them to the letter, and the process is sure to go smoothly.
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Interested in dental implants in Apex, Cary, or New Hill? Contact us online now or give us a call at (919) 589-5001 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Barker at Cardinal Family Dentistry and see if implant treatment is right for you.