What Can I Eat After A Dental Implant Surgery?

Dental implants surgery could irritate your oral tissues for many days after the initial procedure. Dentists always advise their patients to follow a certain postoperative meal plan to ensure their gum recovery during that period. Dental clinics that offer dental implants like the  Bergens Periodontics & Implant Dentistry of Daytona have created a certain diet to follow and ensure that inflammation and pain get relieved soon after the surgery. 

The first natural activity that is restrained by dental implants surgery is the chewing process. Chewing involves pressure to the underlying gum tissues that have been already injured from the dental implants’ insertion. For that reason, patients who have recently undergone dental implants surgery should avoid hard food and excessive chewing at least for the first four weeks after the procedure. Here’s a non-exhaustive shortlist of the food you could easily consume after the dental implant surgery, to heal faster and ensure your oral hygiene.

Liquid Foods

All dentists agree that you should only consume liquid food for the first few days after the dental implants surgery. These liquid foods are usually soups without chunks of chicken or any vegetables. The soups need to be warm and not hot to prevent further damage to your inflamed gum area.

Another kind of liquid food to consume are fruit smoothies which are both pain-relieving and nutritional. It’s important to avoid any acidic fruit since they can further increase your pain and slow down the gum healing process. Drinks that contain calcium may also prevent any tooth decay symptoms and reinforce your teeth’ enamel. For optimal results, you should follow the liquid food diet for at least a week after the initial dental implant surgery.

Oatmeal And Cooked Cereals

Yogurt, milk, and cooked cereals (like oatmeal) are ideal for starting a slow chewing procedure after the surgery. If you start consuming that kind of food five to seven days after the surgery, you have a higher chance of reinforcing your gums without affecting their healing process. Cooked cereals are soft and require less chewing before swallowing. Cooked cereals are safe and nutritious foods and will get you through the first weeks after the surgery quite well.

Sweet Potatoes

Another excellent type of food to consume after dental implant surgery is sweet potatoes. Many dentists advise their patients to boil sweet potatoes and smash them to create a soft meal. This kind of food is easy to swallow without chewing and gives you all the necessary minerals like calcium. Eating sweet potatoes improves your gums’ condition and relieves the inflammation, pain, and discomfort you feel after the surgery.

Steamed Vegetables

Steamed vegetables like carrots, zucchinis, potatoes, and spinach are ideal two weeks after dental implants surgery. When you start chewing solid food, it’s better to have steamed vegetables on the table because it will give you all the necessary vitamins and fibers for your health without causing any pain to your injured oral tissues.

Soft Cooked Fish And Meats

Two to three weeks after the initial surgery, patients are gradually encouraged to cook meat and fish proteins and return to their normal diet. The best solution would be to cook salmon or tuna. These two are typically softer than other fish and easy to swallow. They involve less chewing and give a chance to your gums to recover naturally.

If you insist on having meat proteins, it would be better to stay away from beef and pork steaks. The ideal meat for the first weeks after the dental surgery would be chicken and turkey fillet because they are tender enough to chew without much effort. Some people prefer to mash the meat protein with other vegetables and make it safer to swallow. It’s up to you to decide the best way to cook such proteins, keeping in mind that excessive pressure on your dental implants could cause pain and bleeding.

Every Patient Is Different

Even though general food instructions are the same for all patients who undergo dental implant surgery, people have differences. The healing process is faster in some people, so they can start eating solid food a lot faster than others. It’s important to have many follow-up visits to your dentist after the surgery to ensure the healing process goes well. Taking care of your dental implants, especially in the first weeks after installation, is a major step towards ensuring their longevity.