Safe Eating With Dental Implants: Foods To Eat And Foods To Avoid

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By Timber Dental Care

Dental implants can preserve natural tooth tissue by avoiding the need to cut down adjacent teeth. With the help of dental implants, you can maintain your teeth’ bones and further reduce bone resorption, leading to jawbone height loss. It helps you restore the ability to chew and improve your eating patterns. But ever wondered what to eat and what not to eat after dental implant surgery? Here’s your list of foods to avoid after getting dental implants. 

When Do You Need Dental Implants? 

Dental implants are necessary if you have missing teeth but can’t get dentures. However, replacing a lost tooth is essential, without which your gums will loosen, leading to the misalignment of teeth. On the other hand, dental implants are a critical part of improving the overall functionality of your mouth. On the other hand, if you have biting problems, then getting dental implants is the best solution for you. You can also get dental implants if you want to transform your facial appearance. 

How Long After Dental Implant Surgery Can I Eat Normal Food?

You must consume a soft diet for 24-48 hours post-surgery. Generally, it takes one week to return to your regular eating habits. However, you must generally eat after a week of dental implant surgery. 

Foods To Eat After Getting Dental Implants

After dental implant surgery, the first couple of days after the surgery is very crucial. You must try to consume all-liquid meals as much as possible. Some examples of all-liquid meals you can consume include smooth soups and home-cooked broths. Apart from this, you can also consume bouillon alongside protein drinks and smoothies. On the other hand, most dentists recommend eating yogurt, ice cream, pudding, or mashed potatoes immediately after getting dental implant surgery. The following week after surgery, you can consume foods that require little chewing, like pancakes, macaroni, and cheese. 

Foods To Avoid After Dental Implant Surgery 

Needless to say, after getting dental surgery done, you must avoid hard food. It’s primarily because it might induce heavy bleeding from the surgical site, impairing blood clot formation. Hard foods like nuts and candy can highly damage your implant as well. On the other hand, crunchy food like chips and popcorn might get stuck in your implant, creating complexities. In addition, avoid consuming sticky foods like caramel and taffy, which require a lot of chewing. It can even stick to your surgical site. So try to avoid it if you don’t want the risk of infection. 

Implant Healing Tips 

The healing after dental implant surgery depends on how much you can maintain your oral health. The following pst-surgery healing tips are considered helpful and are as follows:

  • Avoid skipping meals during the first few days after surgery. If not much, try to eat all meals. You will feel mild discomfort and nausea post-surgery, but not consuming food might worsen the situation. 
  • It’s essential to stay hydrated after the surgery to keep your body healthy. 
  • Once the dental implant surgery is done, avoid heavy exercise for a few days. Attempting this will help you minimize the bleeding and discomfort. 
  • The first 24 hours after surgery will require you to take care of your mouth. For this, you must rinse your mouth with salt water in the morning after each meal. 
  • Avoid smoking or using tobacco products for a while until the healing process is over. Smoking might delay the healing process, which will create complications in the future. 

The Bottom Line 

When it comes to dental implants, you must understand their purpose and how they can benefit your smile. Dental implants’ primary purpose is to provide a proper foundation for replacement teeth, which looks and feels like natural teeth. If you have a missing tooth or had a tooth extraction, then getting dental implants is the best solution. Schedule an appointment with your dentist and get your dental implants today.