Wisdom teeth removal is one of the most common dental surgeries almost every person will have to go through. This set of teeth refers to your third set of molars that usually sprout between the ages of 17 and 25 years old.
The need to have the wisdom teeth removed can arise from a variety of reasons, as recommended by your dentist. Others need to go through this surgery when the wisdom tooth is growing at the wrong angle. Or perhaps when it’s impacted and won’t come in.
The food you eat after your surgery shouldn’t only be soft and easy to chew but also filled with nutrients and vitamins to help boost your recovery. To learn more about what to eat after tooth extraction, read more:
- Milkshake
Milk, as one of the best sources of calcium, is healthy for your teeth. So, it’s just fitting to have a milkshake as a choice of beverage after your surgery.
This recommendation on drinking milkshakes, however, doesn’t mean that you can go all out with sweetened milk. Too much sugar won’t be good for your teeth and immune system. If you can, choose low-fat and unsweetened milk. Take it easy on the added sugar.
- Blended Soup
Blended soup is a great food choice after a wisdom tooth surgery. Apart from not having small bits and pieces of food get stuck in the extraction site, it’s also very nutritious and healthy. This helps ensure that you meet the needed dietary requirements when you can’t eat a lot of hard fruits and vegetables.
Blended soups can also provide the hydration you need, as a key component of your recovery. Be sure to have the blended soups in cold or lukewarm temperatures. They may only irritate your extraction site even more if they’re too hot.
- Applesauce
Applesauce mixed with a hint of cinnamon is always a no-fail and delicious comfort food. This will have you feeling as if you’re eating pie but without the hard crust. Applesauce is simply cooked apples. This is great especially when you’re an apple lover yourself but can’t enjoy the crunchy goodness of the fresh fruit for now, given how you’re still recovering from your wisdom teeth surgery.
In the first few days right after your surgery, you’ll still have a wound in your mouth. You need to boost your immune system to ward off any potential infection on the wound site. Applesauce is one of the healthiest, as it’s a rich source of phytochemicals.
- Pureed Fruit
If you’re a parent who used one of those baby food puree makers for your little ones for their first meal, it’s time for you to use them again. You need the nutrients from fruits to boost your health and recovery. But, since you’re still in the process of recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, you can’t chew hard fruits yet.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you should skip eating fruits altogether. You can still enjoy its health benefits. Consuming them in puree form may help you recover faster as the wounded site will not be affected. You can try all the fruits you have at home or whatever you can find in your supermarket.
- Ice Cream And Sorbets
Here’s some good news for the ice cream lovers. Now, you have all the excuses to eat ice cream less the guilt. Eating your favorite ice cream or sorbet after your surgery is a welcome treat. It’s a delicious dessert that also contributes to healing.
The reason behind this is that it acts as a cold compress to your wound. Your dentist will provide care instructions and share important information with you. It applies to both inside your mouth and outside around the cheek area. Similar to placing a cold compress on the cheeks, the ice cream does that job from the inside.
- Bone Broth Or Stock
If you’ve been craving the taste and flavor of meat like chicken and pork, you can still have them in the form of broth or stock. Soups are also another choice of good food as you need nourishment after surgery. If you struggle to drink enough water, the broth is also an effective way to stay hydrated while feeding your body its needed nutrients.
There are many ready-made broths you can buy at grocery stores, so it’s up to you to choose according to your liking.
- Yogurt
Ice cream is a classic favorite, but only as a treat. Because you can’t have it daily, you need to find another healthier alternative instead, like yogurt. Frozen or chilled yogurt is just as delicious and soothing as ice cream. It’s more guilt-free. On top of being a guilt-free treat to provide your extraction site with its needed cold compress, it also comes with many health benefits you just can’t turn a blind eye to.
Once you head out to the supermarket to shop for yogurt, you may also come across quite a wide range of different types.
- Jell-O And Pudding
If you can tolerate Jell-o or if you love it, you’ll be happy to know that this is a dessert that’s great for your recovery. For those who aren’t exactly a fan of Jell-O, you can opt for pudding instead. The latter part includes a wide range of no-bake cream pies, which are mouthwatering treats you can consume during recovery. Especially when you’re craving sweets and you can’t have the usual pies and cakes yet, pudding is a good choice.
- Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes can be prepared in a variety of ways. One of the most well-loved is to mash them. For some people who are used to consuming carbs from rice, mashed potatoes are indeed a better choice after surgery. It can leave you feeling full, while still being gentle on your extraction site.
Final Thoughts
What you eat after your wisdom teeth surgery is very important for your recovery. Like any other surgery, you have to take it easy on the affected area to give the open wound some time to heal. Aside from preventing infections caused by hard food and harmful beverages, eating the right food after a wisdom tooth surgery can nourish your body to allow speedy recovery.
Most importantly, you can prevent little pieces of food from getting stuck on the extraction site which may only cause an infection. If you’re going to have wisdom tooth surgery soon, be sure to make adjustments for the week to prioritize shopping for food choices like those above.
Nevertheless, you can always ask experts like this general dentist in roseville about the recommended types of food you should eat after your wisdom tooth extraction.