What To Eat And Avoid After A Tooth Extraction?

We all know that extracting teeth can be painful, frightening, and stressful. However, aftercare is vital for successful extraction, and it also determines how long it takes to recover. Below, we highlight what to eat and what to avoid after getting tooth extraction near you.

What is a Tooth Extraction?

Tooth extraction is a procedure that removes a tooth from your mouth. It’s done to treat or prevent various conditions caused by the damaged or infected part of the tooth.

Tooth extraction is one of the most common dental procedures in dentistry. There are several reasons for having your teeth pulled, like impacted wisdom teeth, gum infection, injury, infection, cavities, and decay. The dentist may also remove excess teeth before giving you dental braces.

What is the Tooth Extraction Recovery Timeline?

Tooth extraction recovery is a process that usually takes a week or more. The timeline may vary depending on the type of procedure and other factors such as medication use and medical complications.

3 to 10 days after your teeth are extracted, a blood clot will form. It is crucial to care for your clot to prevent it from dislodging.

What To Eat After Tooth Extraction?

Your tooth extraction, while uncomfortable, should not cause too much pain. It’s important to remember that the area is still healing, and your body needs time to get back to normal. Try to stick with easy-to-chew foods and liquids for at least 24 hours after your procedure. Types of foods to choose from include:

• Blended soups
• Broths
• Mashed potatoes or bananas
• Scrambled eggs
• Applesauce
• Avocado
• Smoothies
• instant oatmeal

What Foods to Avoid After Tooth Extraction?

After you have your tooth extracted, avoid foods that may irritate your gums or cause bleeding, like:

• Spicy foods have the potential to cause painful irritation.
• Crunchy foods like cookies may get lodged in the wound area and disrupt healing.
• Many grains and seeds can get lodged in wounds and interrupt the healing.

What Are the Other Instructions?

The first step would be to rinse the mouth with water or saline solution for 10 minutes. There are also some natural remedies like rinsing with hydrogen peroxide, which may help eradicate harmful bacteria.

• Take painkillers as needed to lower the pain level of the tooth pulling process. Our dentist in Phoenix, AZ, will prescribe medication to prevent dental infections.
• Getting plenty of rest is integral to your healing process. It can help you recover faster, relieve pain and inflammation, and reduce the risk of complications such as infection and pneumonia.
• Gauze helps stop the bleeding of wounds and is also good for preventing infection. It is important to change gauze often so that it can stay fresh and keep the wound clean.
• Rinsing, swishing, or gargling anything in the mouth in the first 24 hours can dislodge a clot and affect healing.
• Do not spit! Not only does spitting place saliva and phlegm in the mouth, but it also creates pressure in the mouth which may dislodge a blood clot.
• Avoid smoking. If you are in the recovery process, it is best not to smoke or use a straw during this time. Nicotine can affect gum healing.
• Alcohol is not the best choice for the recovery period because it can irritate the wound and interact with any prescribed medication, so it is best to avoid it entirely during this time.
• Cold compresses are a great way to dull pain and help with the healing process. Ice packs are easy to use, have no side effects, and can be applied to the area several times a day.
• Sleeping with your head elevated can help blood flow away from the brain and allow healing to happen more quickly.

When to See the Dentist?

Some factors that will affect the length of time it takes for a wound to heal include age and whether you smoke. However, visit an oral surgeon near you if you experience pain and swelling, accompanied by a high fever.

Schedule an Appointment

Visit Encanto Family Dental Care for more information about tooth extraction recovery.