Terrific Tips and Recovery Foods Following Oral Surgery

Whether you’re having your wisdom teeth extracted or have decided to move forward with dental implants, thoughts of oral surgery can be filled with anxiety ridden thoughts. The most common concern is possible pain, followed by “what will I eat?” The following tips provided should provide some peace of mind, rapid recovery and optimum healing for the oral surgery patient.

Firstly, if you are having anesthesia, speak with your Doctor about whether or not it is wise to eat prior to surgery. He or she may advise you to not eat prior to surgery and this means that you may find yourself a bit famished a few hours following surgery. But, given what you’ve just been through, steak and potatoes is not the smartest option.  Below you will find a list of foods & terrific tips that will help you coast through the first few days following your surgery.

Some Terrific Tips Include:

• No straw with that-Do not drink through a straw. The suction could dislodge the blood clot and cause a dry socket.
• Take a break from a smoke break-Do not smoke  for the same reason, as smoking will impair blood flow (possibly creating a dry socket) and will compromise healing. Additionally, there is another risk in smoking after tooth extraction; after an extraction, the smoke contacts the body directly without any skin protection, which increases the risk of cancer, especially oral cancer.
• Cancel happy hour-Avoid alcoholic beverages as they could interact with the anesthesia and pain medication. Speaking of pain medication-take it before the pain sets in! It’s easier to prevent pain than to make it go away. And avoid aspirin as it thins the blood.
• Go on a gym diet-Do not exercise for 12-24 hours and take it easy. This is the time for rest, and do so with your head elevated with pillows the first night.
• Rest on rinsing-Although you may be tempted, no rinsing for 24 hours.

You may feel limited with sticking to “soft foods,” but there are a variety of foods that will keep you full and satisfied. In addition to this list, feel free to puree or blend foods that sound good to you. In the days following your surgery, your blender will be your best friend!
 Below is a list of foods that should keep your taste buds happy:

• yogurt
• ice cream
• pudding
• jello
• whipped potatoes
• soups (lukewarm)
• hummus
• eggs
• avocado

Keep in mind to avoid too much dairy, as dairy products are mucous producing and may impair the healing process. You should also avoid spicy foods as they, too can cause dry socket.

Lastly, take a multi vitamin as you may be lacking in nutrition based on your limited diet following surgery.

Dr. Vaughan is a Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. His vast knowledge enables him to perform  minimally invasive oral surgery so patients have less swelling, less pain, and shorter post-surgical downtime.