What to Eat After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

As you prepare for your wisdom teeth extraction procedure, it is important to be mindful of your diet, both before and immediately following the procedure. Because you will likely be receiving sedation as part of your procedure, do not drink or eat any food or beverages six hours prior to surgery. You can still take prescription medication, but beyond that you should not ingest anything, including water, gum, and/or breath mints.

Following the extraction of your wisdom teeth, it is important to follow a liquid and soft food diet to avoid experiencing pain and/or developing complications. Examples of allowable soft foods and liquids include:

• apple sauce
• broths and blended soups
• mashed potatoes
• cottage cheese
• smoothies
• pudding
• yogurt
• smoothies
• ice cream

Examples of foods you should avoid include:

• Foods that are spicy and/or acidic
• Alcohol may have a bad interaction with medication and/or irritate the area
• Grains (rice and quinoa) can get trapped in the extraction site
• Chewy foods like nuts or jerky can reopen stitches and delay healing

In addition to following these dietary restrictions, it is also important to not use a straw and avoid smoking for at least 72 hours following surgery. Chewing tobacco should be avoided for at least one week. As the healing process progresses, you can slowly begin to reintroduce harder foods such as oatmeal, toast, and eggs. You should be able to return to normal eating habits within one week.

Possible Complications

If aftercare instructions and a proper diet are not followed after the removal of your wisdom teeth, you are at an increased risk of developing any of the following complications:

1. Dry Socket (Alveolar Osteitis): Following the removal of a tooth, a blood clot forms over the extraction site. If this blood clot becomes dislodged, a dry socket (alveolar osteitis) can develop. Indications of a dry socket include an unpleasant taste or smell in the area of extraction and/or throbbing pain. If you are diagnosed with a dry socket, the area will be cleaned and covered with a medical dressing, which will need to be replaced until the area has fully healed.
2. Pain and Swelling: To help alleviate pain and swelling, you may be prescribed pain-relieving medication and/or take over-the-counter medication. Swelling can be managed by using ice packs for fifteen-minute intervals. Avoiding strenuous activities and sticking to a soft food diet can also help alleviate or avoid these symptoms.
3. Limited Mouth Opening: Following removal of your wisdom teeth, some patients experience a limited ability to open their mouth. This complication (referred to as trismus) is often treated through muscle relaxants, pain medications, jaw opening devices, and/or heat therapy.
4. Excessive Bleeding: Approximately 31% of patients will experience excessive bleeding the first day following extraction of their wisdom tooth. Steps you can take to reduce excessive bleeding include avoiding strenuous activity, rinsing your mouth, and not smoking.
5. Lip Numbness: Though extremely unlikely, there is a small chance of your alveolar nerve becoming damaged during the extraction process, which can cause lip numbness. If this unlikely event were to occur, be assured that for 96% of patients who experience this complication, the issue will spontaneously resolve itself.

Provided you follow the aftercare instructions listed above and are mindful of what you eat, you should enjoy a fast recovery and soon return to being able to enjoy all types of food again.