Dental implants can restore your ability to eat virtually any food, from raw fruits and veggies to juicy steaks and everything in between. Before that wonderful time, however, you will need to go through a complex treatment process. Part of that process is a dental implant surgery in Auburn, wherein your prosthetic tooth roots will be placed in your jaw. Following your surgery, it is important that you avoid the following types of foods. Doing so will contribute to a comfortable and complication-free recovery.
Hot and Spicy Foods
Hot and spicy foods may irritate your surgical sites, slow down your recovery, and even increase your risk of infection. It is best to stick to warm or even room temperature foods and avoid anything that has been heavily seasoned with spices.
Alcohol
Do you like to enjoy a glass of wine every evening or like to sip on the occasional cocktail? You should pause any alcohol consumption while you are recovering from dental implant surgery because the alcohol can slow down healing and increase swelling. It may also cause dangerous interactions with any pain medications you are taking.
Chewy or Sticky Foods
You can expect your jaw to be sore after your surgery. Expending a lot of energy to consume chewy or sticky foods may increase your discomfort. Doing so could even be impossible if you do not have any natural teeth left to help you chew. Therefore, things like chewy candies, pizza crust, and tough meats should be avoided.
Crunchy Foods
Many types of crunchy foods break into hard pieces when you chomp down on them. Those little hard pieces could irritate your incision sites, slow down healing, and increase your risk of infection. Some crunchy foods that you should temporarily say no to include chips, popcorn, nuts, and crackers.
How Long Will the Food Restrictions Last?
Your oral surgeon will give you detailed post-operative instructions to speed up your recovery. Generally, you should be on a “no-chew” diet for about one week. During that time, you should stick to consuming things like pudding, applesauce, and broth-based soups. After that, you can begin to add in “fork tender” foods — foods that are easy to cut with the side of a fork. That includes things like broiled fish, meatloaf, and soft breads. You may also choose to add moderate amounts of alcohol back into your diet if your medical and/or dental team says it is safe to do so.
You must adjust your diet following dental implant surgery, but any inconvenience you experience will be well worth it when your new, healthy, and strong set of teeth is in place!
Meet Our Practice
Drs. Geraldine Schneider and Scott Beckerman lead the team at Willow Run Dental Association. They have more than 60 years of combined experience and are proud to offer a broad range of services, including start-to-finish dental implant care. To learn more about them and how they can help to restore your lost teeth, contact our practice at 207-783-0261.