What to eat after tooth extraction
After a tooth extraction surgery, for at least 24-48 hours, avoid eating anything other than soft, temperate foods such as scrambled egg and jelly. After a few days, as you feel comfortable, you can try to reintroduce solid foods which aren’t too crunchy, spicy, chewy or sticky.
When can I eat after a tooth extraction?
Overview
Tooth extraction surgery leaves the mouth tender and sore, not to mention there will be one or more open wounds in your gums. This means that foods that are hot, very cold, spicy, crunchy or sticky, will be a no-go for at least a couple of days.
It is generally advised that if you’ve had a tooth removed you stick to a soft-food diet for the first 24-48 hours. After that, you can start to slowly incorporate other foods back into your diet.
Eating after wisdom teeth removal vs. regular teeth removal
Whether you’re getting a wisdom tooth removed or a regular tooth, the procedure (and recovery) will be very similar, depending on how tricky it is to get the wisdom tooth out.
Is wisdom tooth removal more difficult?
Sometimes. Wisdom teeth can be more difficult to remove because they’re further back in the mouth and may not be as visible. If the tooth didn’t erupt properly, it might be embedded beneath a layer of skin (as opposed to a regular tooth, which would be nearer the front and, most likely, fully erupted). In this case, you’d need a surgical extraction instead of a simple extraction, which will take you longer to recover from.
This guide assumes you’ve had a simple dental tooth extraction. If you require more extensive surgery, talk to your oral surgeon about what to expect for your recovery.
What to eat: Right after a tooth extraction
Avoid eating for the first four hours to give your body time to form a blood clot – a necessary part of the healing process.
You’ll also need to avoid spitting, rinsing and sucking as these actions could dislodge this blood clot.
Can I eat when my mouth is still numb?
No, it’s best not to eat when your mouth is still numb from the anaesthetic, if you avoid it. If parts of your mouth are numb then you might bite your tongue or cheek without realising!
What to eat: 24-48 hours
Your mouth will be very tender, and the extraction site quite sensitive, during this time. Trust us – you’ll want to avoid anything which requires a lot of chewing. Pain after a tooth extraction is fairly common, and food can exacerbate that.
Try to avoid:
Very hot food
Very cold food
Acids, like citrus fruits or fizzy drinks
Spicy food such as chillies, curry or spicy wings
Crunchy food such as corn chips, brittle or apples
Food with very small bits, like seeds and nuts
Crumbly food, like biscuits
Very sticky food, such as toffee or chewing gum
Food which is too chewy, like meat
During this time, you’ll be on a soft-food diet
That means choosing food which doesn’t require much, if any, chewing and isn’t too extreme on the mouth (i.e. hot, acidic or spicy).
Scrambled eggs, smoothies, mashed potato and yoghurt are good examples of soft foods.
Continue to avoid rinsing, spitting or sucking during the first 24 hours, although you can start to rinse your mouth gently from that point onwards.
When can I start brushing my teeth?
You’ll likely be warned to avoid brushing your teeth in the first 24-hour period after a tooth extraction, to give the site time to settle and begin healing.
After a day has passed, you can start gently brushing again.
Are you the parent of a child who’s had a tooth out? Learn more about:
What to eat: One week
Over the next five days you can start to reincorporate solid foods.
The specific type of food you can safely eat will depend largely on your own recovery. Chewing will get a bit easier each day, but you’ll still have a sore spot at the surgical site, meaning you may want to continue to avoid spiky food, spice, acids and anything too hot.
Some food items to consider re-adding to your diet during this period include:
Vegetables, erring on the side of softer veggies rather than crunchy
Soft bread products, not too chewy
Pasta, noodles and rice
Cheese, but not crackers.
We recommend testing food before going for it. Make sure you’re comfortable before proceeding too far, so you don’t harm yourself or cause discomfort. If you think it feels OK, it probably is.
What to eat: Beyond one week
It’s hard to predict what you’ll be safe to eat from that one-week period onwards – it very much depends on your mouth, the extent of your surgery and what you’re comfortable with.
At this point, you should feel safe reincorporating a wider variety of food. Just remember to test everything first.
Keep in mind, one week is not much time to heal. You’ll still have a hole, but the extraction site should be stable by this point. Bitsy food, crunchy food, spices and acid may no longer cause discomfort, but go slow at first.
What can I drink after a tooth extraction?
Overview
Drinking after tooth extraction surgery follows much the same rules as food – drinks which are too hot, too cold or highly acidic will likely cause pain and discomfort in the tender part of your mouth.
For the first 24-48 hours, drink only temperate water or lukewarm beverages (like a hot tea which has been allowed to cool) plus blended drinks such as smoothies. Avoid pretty much everything else.
Important: don’t use a straw during this time.
When can I start drinking cold drinks after tooth extraction surgery?
After the first 48 hours, you can consider testing more cold drinks. Remember you’ll still be sensitive, so go slowly.
Fizzy drinks and energy drinks
Sodas and energy drinks are acidic and bubbly, not just cold. While you might be able to handle the temperature after 24-48 hours, the acid and bubbles could still cause discomfort.
Many dentists recommend waiting at least a week before trying acidic drinks. The same goes for caffeine (see below).
Iced tea and coffee
So long as you feel comfortable with the cold temperature of iced drinks like tea and chocolate, you should be OK after 24-48 hours.
You could try coffee during this period, but most dentists recommend waiting at least a week before getting back into larger amounts of caffeine.
Fruit drinks
If your fruit drink of choice isn’t acidic (i.e. carrot, aloe vera, watermelon, pear) it will probably be OK after the first two days. The same goes for sports drinks like Powerade or Gatorade.
Fruit beverages with higher acid content – lemon, orange, apple, cranberry, grape – may cause discomfort, so consider waiting for a week.
When can I start drinking hot drinks after my tooth extraction surgery?
Hot drinks can cause pain and irritation in a tooth extraction hole, so they’re not recommended within the initial 48-hour period. Thereafter, give it a go and see how you feel – work up to it over time if that’s easiest for you.
When can I drink hot tea?
Don’t drink hot tea for the first 24-48 hours after your extraction. Lukewarm tea should be fine.
Can I drink coffee?
Coffee is more acidic than tea and, as a result, may need to be avoided for a while. Most dentists recommend not drinking coffee for a few days after a tooth extraction. You can start to weave it back in after around 5 days.
Can I drink hot chocolate?
Yes, you can drink hot chocolate during the initial couple of days and definitely so within the first week, as long as you let it cool down a bit first.
Is caffeine OK after a tooth extraction?
No, not generally within the first couple of days. Caffeine can increase blood flow and blood pressure, which may put you at a higher risk of bleeding in that initial surgical recovery period. We recommend giving it a miss for a few days, around five.
When can I start using a straw after a tooth extraction?
Avoid using a straw within the first few days after your tooth extraction, as the sucking motion could dislodge your newly formed blood clot and increase the risk of dry socket – a painful condition which may require you to have to go back to the dentist.
Learn more: Dry socket explained and treatments
Example of a dental soft diet: Soft foods to eat after tooth surgery
A dental soft diet eliminates foods which could cause pain or discomfort after surgery, like those crunchy or chewy foods mentioned above. They might seem a bit bland or boring, but remember it’s only for a couple of days. Your mouth will thank you for it.
These are examples of soft foods to consider eating within the first few days after your tooth extraction:
Blended soups without big chunks
Ice cream or jelly
Yoghurts or smoothies (without little bits in them)
Mashed potato
Scrambled egg
Pancakes
Soft cheeses
Meat that doesn’t require chewing, like tinned tuna or mince
Soft tofu
Hummus and similar dips
Bananas and avocados
Pros and cons of consuming other common food/drink within a week of dental surgery
Water
Perfect! It’ll keep you hydrated and prevent your gums from drying out while they try to heal.
Just remember not to make your water too cold, and avoid rinsing for the first 24 hours at least.
Rice
Rice is liable to get stuck in your extraction site hole, especially during the first 48 hours. But, it’s also an example of soft food that some dentists recommend as a part of their patients’ dental soft diet, being a good source of energy for the body.
If rice is a staple of your regular diet, consider avoiding it for that first 24-48 hour period to give your blood clot a chance at life, then you can start bringing it back into your food regime.
Spicy food
Spicy food is a no-go for at least the first week. Even if you’re normally very tolerant of spicy food, spices can be an irritant to a fresh surgical site and cause a lot of discomfort.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a healthy snack (when not covered in butter, salt or sugar, of course), but is one to be avoided for now.
While you’re in the immediate recovery phase (two to three days), popcorn could dislodge your blood clot and the spiky bits may irritate your tender gums. You might also find you can’t eat popcorn for that entire week, for the same reasons.
Bread
Bread is a great example of a filling food item which can be very soft, but not all bread is made equal. If it’s soft and doesn’t need much chewing, you’ll probably be safe.
Seeded bread should be avoided for a few days so the seeds don’t cause you irritation or dislodge your blood clot. Crunchy bread like a tiger skin bun can also get a bit spiky.
Chewy bread products (such as bagels) are also one to avoid in the initial few days, as the act of chewing will likely cause pain or discomfort.
Burgers
You’ll likely find burgers too much of a mouthful in the first few days post-tooth extraction. They’re big and chewy, both things which could cause pain.
As you progress through the week, you may try to incorporate burgers into your diet so long as you ensure that they’re small and soft. Keep all the crunchy good stuff out for at least a week.
Chicken
Chicken is a highly nutritious foodstuff and can be cooked in all sorts of ways, meaning if you’re a meat-eater it’ll likely be back in your diet fairly quickly.
When thinking about adding chicken to your routine, try to keep it simple in the first week. You don’t want to have to chew too vigorously, and you won’t want any crunchy or spicy skins.
Chips/fries
This is the big one – when can you go back to the chippie?
Chips can be nice and soft, but they’re a risk. If they’re too hot or too crunchy, they’ll likely cause irritation within the first week of recovery. The oily salt may also become an irritant.
So, by all means, try to bring them back into your life as speedily as you can. Just play it safe at first, and be choosy about which chips you grab from the pile.
Ice cream
Ice cream is one of the go-to soft desserts for people who’ve just had dental surgery. You’re absolutely fine to consume ice cream within the first couple of days of recovery, although go slow to make sure the sharp cold doesn’t hurt you.
Just remember to avoid any flavours which have crunchy or chewy pieces.
Dairy products
There’s a bit of mixed chatter in the dental world, especially on the internet, about whether or not dairy is OK after oral surgery.
In the past, it was thought that the answer was no – that dairy could increase the risk of infection. However, modern thinking (backed up by studies like this one) believe that it’s perfectly fine.
So, with that in mind, soft dairy products should be OK in the first two days. Hard cheese is probably the only no-go zone but may be fine after 48 hours.
Pasta and noodles
Pasta and noodles can be nice and soft, making them ideal food to bulk out your meals with a bit more energy.
Consider giving yourself that first two days, though, before adding it back in. It’s likely going to be soft enough that you’ll be OK, but just in case it dislodges your blood clot it’s safest to avoid for 24-48 hours.
Salad
You’ll probably be avoiding big salads during your first week of recovery, due to their propensity for having crunchy and bitsy ingredients.
As you get to the end of your first five days, and especially your first whole week, you could try giving light salads a go to see how comfortable you feel. Salad is a fabulous, healthy meal, so it’s worth trying to get it back into your diet as quickly (but comfortably) as possible.
Sushi
Sushi will be one to avoid in the first 48 hours. That said, you might find you can start getting it back into your life by the end of the week – so long as you’re comfortable with the chewing, the big mouthful and all the bitsy stuff in the middle.
During this time, we’d recommend you err on the side of softer sushi rather than anything with crunch.
Chocolates, lollies and other sweets
Of course, we know many of you will want these back in your life. So when can you eat sweets after oral surgery?
Well, not too quickly. Sweets tend to be either crunchy (like chocolate and hard candy), chewy (like a lot of lollies) or acidic. That’s a triple threat when it comes to your healing process and general comfort.
Soft sweets such as jelly and custard will be fine, even on the first day.
Soup
Soup is one of the best go-to foods for someone recovering from a tooth extraction. It’s nutritious, warm and easy to eat.
The things to consider with soup in that early recovery period are avoiding big chunks that require too much chewing, keeping the temperature down and omitting spices.
Pizza
Some dentists recommend avoiding pizza during the first week of oral surgery recovery because it can be quite chewy. For that reason, it may cause discomfort.
That said, pizza is also (or at least can be) relatively soft, so long as the toppings or crust aren’t too crunchy. This may allow you to bring it into your diet earlier than one week, but you’ll need to pick your pizza carefully, go slow and test it first. Be prepared to wait five to seven days before ordering Domino’s again.
Crisps, nuts, seeds and cereals
These four foods – crisps, nuts, seeds and cereals - are all generally to be avoided in the first week. Aside from the possibility that they’ll dislodge your blood clot, their crunch and spikiness could cause pain or discomfort.
After your first week has elapsed, you can think about slowly reincorporating them back in. Breakfast cereal may come first, as it can be softened with milk.
Need to book a dentist appointment?
If you ever need advice, or you’re worried about a problem with your mouth, don’t hesitate to contact us. Pop in to see us on Maunu Road at the heart of Whangarei, call us on 09 430 0707 or book an appointment online.