Getting dental implants is truly a life-changing procedure. Not only will you not have to deal with flimsy dentures anymore, but you’ll be able to enjoy the foods you love with similar stability and security as natural teeth. However, before you can enjoy biting into corn on the cob and steak again, you have to let your body heal from dental implant surgery. After receiving dental implants surgery at Advanced Dentistry of Butler, we recommend you follow our aftercare tips for what you can eat after dental implants surgery. Stock your kitchen with our recommended foods ahead of time so you don’t have to stress about what to eat.
What to Eat During the First Six Hours Following Dental Implant Surgery
Immediately following your implant surgery, it’s likely your jaw will still feel pretty numb. Don’t let the numbness fool you into eating something crunchy or chewy, though. During the first week of the healing process, we recommend sticking to a soft and liquid diet. You will want to minimize the amount of pressure you place on your jaw so it can heal without extra work.
During the first six hours while the numbness is still present, stick with cold and soft foods like yogurt, ice cream, smoothies, milkshakes, or pudding. The reason we recommend cold foods is because the numbness can prevent you from feeling how hot your food is and result in burning your mouth.
What to Eat After the Numbing Wears Off
After the numbness wears off, you can move on to eat other soft foods that you can easily cut with a fork like mashed potatoes, pasta, eggs, pancakes, cooked vegetables, broiled fish, tofu, meatloaf, oatmeal, soft bread, or soup. Stick with foods that require minimal chewing.
Try to avoid chewing near the implant sites, and if at any time chewing hurts or feels uncomfortable, stop eating it and try something softer. You will continue to eat a soft food diet for at least two weeks before you can move onto harder and crunchier foods.
What You Should Avoid Eating After Dental Implant Surgery
To ensure your dental implants heal as they should, there are also certain foods you should avoid eating. Also, you should avoid using a straw at any time. During the healing process, make sure to avoid eating:
- Crusty bread
- Corn on the cob
- Gum
- Pizza crust
- Raw apples
- Raw vegetables
- Steaming hot food
- Granola
- Chips
- Hard pretzels
Once you finish healing and we place your permanent restorations, you can finally enjoy all your favorite foods again without any problems. If you’re ready to change your life with dental implants in Butler, PA, please contact Advanced Dentistry of Butler today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Fornalczyk. Call (724) 282-4436 to get started.
