One of the best features of dental implants is that they restore a strong bite force; they can allow you to eat any food, including items that are off-limits with traditional dentures! Before you get to that point, though, you will need to undergo dental implant surgery and the subsequent healing period. During that time, you will have to avoid certain foods, including the ones discussed in this blog post.
The First 24 – 48 Hours
During the initial part of your recovery period, your mouth will be sore, and you will have to take extra care not to irritate your surgical sites. Therefore, your oral surgeon will likely advise you to stick to a liquid diet, meaning you should avoid anything that requires any sort of chewing. Instead, you can consume broths, smoothies (without seeds or hard add-ins), protein drinks, yogurt, applesauce, and similar items.
Alcohol should also be avoided throughout your recovery period due to its ability to slow down your body’s healing processes.
The Weeks After Your Surgery
After the first few days of your recovery period, you can progress to a soft diet. Therefore, you should avoid hard and crunchy foods, such as raw vegetables, chips, chewy meats, and other items that take a lot of effort to consume. You should continue to avoid seeds and similar small bits that might get lodged in your surgical sites. Also, keep in mind that spicy and acidic foods could cause irritation.
Some foods that should be safe to eat during this time include scrambled eggs, fish, shredded meats, well-cooked pasta, cooked veggies, oatmeal, and other items that are soft. As a general rule of thumb, if a food is easy to cut with the side of a fork, it may be an acceptable choice during your recovery period.
Returning to Your Normal Eating Habits
If you still have enough natural teeth left to eat a wide variety of foods, you can resume your normal eating habits after the soft tissue at your surgical sites has healed sufficiently. This occurs at different times for different patients, so be patient with yourself, and if a food causes irritation, stop eating it and try again after you have given yourself more time to heal.
After your dental implant restorations are attached, you might go through a brief adjustment period. Within a few days, though, you should be able to enjoy virtually any food with ease!
Dental implant surgery will require you to make some changes to your eating habits. If you diligently adhere to post-op directions, however, you should have a smooth recovery. It will not be long before you are once again enjoying all your favorite dishes!
Meet the Practice
Dr. Steve Koo is a board-certified oral surgeon with nearly 20 years of experience in his field. He works alongside Drs. William Shepard and Talal Beidas to provide top-tier services to the Cypress community; our team is highly qualified to perform dental implant surgery! To learn more about us or to set up a consultation, contact our office at 713-364-9903.