Food to Eat After Tooth Extractions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and More!

Removing a severely decayed tooth or an impacted wisdom tooth can improve overall oral wellness. For many, the most challenging part of wisdom teeth removal or other tooth extraction is not the procedure itself. It’s recovery.

Sometimes, people are nervous about eating after a tooth extraction or other dental surgery, but eating nutritious food is essential to healing. The right soft foods can speed up recovery by reducing the risk of complications, minimizing swelling, and expediting healing the wound. Monitoring healthy fats and protein intake while adding vitamins that boost the immune system can ensure a smooth recovery.

Enjoying foods that are easy to chew (or don’t require chewing) helps secure the surgical site.

Breakfast

For good reason, breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day. A balanced breakfast replenishes the body’s supply of glucose to boost alertness and energy levels and provides other vital nutrients required for good health. Unsure how to break your fast? Here are three delicious breakfast items that are safe to enjoy:

• Scrambled eggs: Skip the bacon, keep the eggs. Eggs are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, protein (which aids in wound healing).
• Yogurt: Yogurt without large chunks, such as plain or vanilla, has a smooth texture and cool temperature that soothes a post-surgery mouth. Specifically, Greek yogurt is packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals (including calcium and zinc).
• Oatmeal: Oats are a “superfood” because they are highly nutritious and an excellent source of fiber. Instant oatmeal is ideal because it has a more delicate texture than other types of oats.

Lunch

When making lunch after tooth extraction, the food processor is your new best friend. Some patients even opt for baby food because of its smooth texture and convenience. Mashed fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, which are essential for overall health:

• Mashed potatoes: Potatoes are more than comfort food. They are rich in calories and nutrients, which help keep energy levels up.
• Mashed bananas: Bananas are easy to swallow and full of potassium, folate, vitamin B6, and manganese. Want to try something new? Blend frozen bananas and a splash of milk to create banana ice cream!
• Avocado: Avocados are low in carbs and high in healthy fats, potassium, and vitamin K and C.
• Mashed pumpkin or sweet potato: Orange fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins A, C, and E.

Dinner

Ending the day with a healthy dinner is linked to improved sleep, digestion, and moods.

• Soups: Soups hydrate the body. Blended soups with a creamy texture are an easy way to sneak in fruits and vegetables. Stock-based soups (such as bone broths or French Onion Soup) may have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Soft seafood: Seafood is highly nutritious and highly versatile, which is ideal during recovery. Enjoy crab cakes, salmon, and other more delicate cuts of fish.

Snacks

A small, healthy snack between meals helps maintain blood sugar, curb the appetite, and prevents overeating:

• Smoothies and protein shakes: These drinks are as easy to make as they are to drink. Add protein powder to a smoothie for an extra boost!
• Cheese: Say cheese! Add cheese to eggs, soup, or other foods for extra flavor. Also, cottage cheese is a high-protein snack.
• Hummus: Omit the pita chips and scoop hummus into your mouth with a spoon. Hummus has protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.

Foods and Habits to Avoid

As you just read, there are plenty of foods that you can enjoy after surgery. However, here are some foods and habits to avoid entirely as the wound is healing:

• Crunchy and crumbly food
• Most grains and seeds
• Chewy food
• Spicy food
• Alcohol
• Avoid straws to reduce the risk of developing a dry socket.
• Avoid chewing on the surgery site.

Talk to Us About Tooth Extractions in Downtown Kitchener

Dr. Kyle Hornby educates patients about every stage of the recovery process, including what they can eat before transitioning back to solid food. If you plan on getting a tooth pulled soon, schedule an appointment with us by calling (519) 576-8160 or messaging us online today.