What to Eat within 3 Hours?
As a general rule of thumb, soft and cold diet food items within first 3 hours acts as a cold compress for the Dental Implant surgery site. When you eat cold diet, the blood vessels around the Surgical site narrow down. The constriction of the blood vessels prevents them from carrying a lot of fluid to the surrounding tissue which reduces swelling. Eating an ice-cream free from nuts and caramels acts as excellent cold compress. You can also take cold Juices but advised to drink straight from the glass. Negative pressure in the mouth while drinking juices with straw can lead to dislodgement of the blood clot. Avoid sticky, spicy and hard food items to minimize the irritation and chance of infection. Disturbing the area will cause early wound breakdown and exposure of the implant or graft, resulting in a higher chance of failure. While selecting fruit smoothies, try to include citrus fruits such as oranges, and grapefruits in moderation. Smoothies without dairy or banana ice cream can soothe swelling, numb your lips, and keep you upbeat.
List of Nutrient Rich Cold Food Items with Recipes
Eating foods that need little to no chewing before swallowing is best. It allows the wound (if any) to heal more quickly while controlling pain and inflammation. Ensure that you consume cold chew free food items that are also nutrient rich.
Smoothies. Smoothies are satisfying, nutrient-dense, and simple to add essential vitamins for regenerated energy. They are perfect for the following surgery because they don't require chewing. Try Blueberry Smoothie, Fruit Smoothie, Green Breakfast Smoothie.
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Cold soups. Hot foods should be avoided immediately after surgery, but cold soups like Gazpacho, Cold cucumber soup are okay to eat.
Applesauce. You won't be able to bite into an apple at this stage of your therapy, but Applesauce contains all the same nutrients in an implant-safe form.
Other cool liquid foods include shakes, Banana Pudding, Fruit Pudding, Fruit Jelly and Jell-O, fruit juices and nectars, and milkshakes.
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Soft Food Items to Eat for next 10-14 Days
To safeguard your new implants, you must avoid eating some hard and sticky food items in the days and weeks following your implant surgery. It would help if you continue eating only soft foods for at least 10 to 14 days after the treatment or until your mouth is pain-free because you will have a temporary restriction on your chewing ability. Make sure that the food items sought, are fork-mashable and holds good nutrition value while on a soft diet, you should still eat various foods. Fortunately, there are many nutritious items available in soft food diet.
Here are some ideas, broken down into food categories:
- Energy-boosting carbs: Mashed potatoes, oat or rice, porridge (Dalia), whole grain biscuits soaked in milk
- Protein for repair and growth: Baked Beans, Steamed fish, tofu, soft-boiled or scrambled eggs, protein shakes
- Drink dairy for calcium: Milkshakes, puddings, yoghurt, smoothies, and cottage cheese
- Vegetables and fruits for vitamins and minerals: Bananas, Mango pulp, avocado, mashed carrots, mashed pumpkin, mashed apples and poached pears. Vitamin-rich soups and broths can keep you hydrated and nourish you.
Food Items to Avoid
For the next few days following surgery, stay away from the following foods:
- Spicy Meals: Spicy meals, including salsa and chilli peppers should be avoided. Hot and spicy foods can irritate your surgery sites and delay your recovery. Avoid anything strongly spiced to be safe, and stick to warm or even room-temperature foods.
- Vegetables and fruits that is firm. Even though they are healthy, raw apples and carrots are difficult to chew and should be avoided. Avoid hard foods by sticking to soft substitutes like bananas and peas that provide the same nourishment without damaging your teeth.
- Other crunchy treats include popcorn. A snack that can lodge in your surgery site and cause inflammation and discomfort should be avoided, such as popcorn, nuts, seeds, and other similar foods.
- Gummy or chewy candies. Avoid eating sweets, especially those that contain taffy or caramel. They tend to stick to teeth and could knock a temporary restoration off. A fruit protein shake is perfect if you're craving something sweet. candy and bagels.
- Alcohol: After dental implant surgery, you must stop drinking alcohol even if you occasionally enjoy a glass of wine or a beautiful cocktail. Alcohol might cause greater swelling and impede the healing process. Even your post-operative pain drugs may interact in a harmful way with it.
- Dairy Products: Dairy products may cause the oral tissues to become inflamed, which is undesirable after dental implant surgery. Thus you will be advised to avoid them the days after your procedure. Dairy products are also known to cause nausea and vomiting with Antibiotics.
Dental implants are a lifetime investment when you decide to get them and each mouth is unique, and each person's response to oral surgery will also be unique. As a general rule, the foods listed above are acceptable to eat following dental implant surgery. If you have any questions, be sure to contact our office!
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The content of ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry's Blog/website is for information only, not advice or guarantee of any outcome. Information is gathered and shared from reputable sources; however, ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry is not responsible for errors or omissions in reporting or explanation. No individuals, including those under our active care, should use the information, resources or tools contained within to self-diagnosis or self-treat any health-related condition. ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry gives no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness or applicability or the content.
ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry accepts no liability for errors, inaccuracies, omission, or misleading statements. ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry excludes liability for any losses, demands, claims or damages of any kind regarding information, content, or services at this blog/website. The information may be updated at any time, especially as medical/dental discoveries and research evolves regarding the dentistry and its conditions. At no time does ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry take any responsibility for any action taken or care chosen in reliance on information contained in this blog or this website.
