What Can I Eat After Dental Implant Surgery
After-shots of dental implants show the promised Hollywood smile, but not what it takes to get there. After having a dental implant fitted, your teeth and jaw will be in a very delicate state, which is why it’s important to follow a carefully planned diet during the first days and even weeks of the healing process. Eating food your implant isn’t ready for can damage the implant itself and set back your recovery.
Here are our top tips on what to eat while recovering:
The First 24-48 Hours After Dental Implant Surgery
In all stages of the healing process, it’s important to remember protein, which supports the formation of new tissue and helps the body fight infection.
In this early, highly tender stage, you should only consume soft food and liquids, such as soup, ice cream, mashed potatoes, smoothies, and protein-rich yoghurts. To ensure you’re eating a healthy diet, pack a smoothie with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. If you want to up your protein intake, try adding protein powder, avocado, or peanut butter.
Because they can be tailored to your needs, smoothies are the optimal post-surgery food but don’t use a straw, as suction will put pressure on your newly implanted tooth.
It’s essential that everything you eat or drink is cold, to avoid damaging the new implant.
Day 3 – 7 After Dental Implant Surgery
At this stage, you can begin to add some slightly firmer foods to your diet, all of which should still be relatively soft, such as scrambled eggs, omelettes, soft cheeses, mashed potatoes, and well-cooked pasta.
You can also start to introduce soft meats such as chicken or fish, along with soft fruits such as peaches or pears. Apples and other crunchy fruits are still to be avoided unless blended.
Cereals such as oatmeal and muesli are perfect breakfast foods in the period following dental implant surgery, as they are very soft when cooked completely.
Vegetables are important for a healthy, balanced diet, but at this stage, they ought to be boiled or steamed until soft.
Week 2 Through to Full Healing
Healing can take several weeks after getting a dental implant, so it’s important to be careful and consider the introduction of harder food. Pay attention to your mouth – if eating something hurts, you’re not ready for it.
As you reintroduce old favourites, bear in mind that changes to an ongoing diet might be a good idea, especially if you’re keen on hard, crunchy, or chewy foods. To protect the dental implant over the long term, it might be worth bumping the most difficult-to-chew menu items off the list.
Click here for a blog more in-depth about Looking After Your Dental Implant.
Considering getting dental implants? Contact our friendly staff at our Bolton clinic today and our friendly staff will be delighted to help you.
