After having your tooth extracted, your dentist would most likely give you guidelines as to what to expect during your recovery. You might be asking “How long after tooth extraction can I eat normal food?”. This article will focus on what to expect after the extraction, as well as things you should avoid. Please visit Top Health Dental Ryde’s site for more information on topics like these.
What to expect right after the surgery
When you can eat normally again would depend on the extent of the surgery, but generally, you can start drinking liquids just hours after the surgery. You would also be allowed to eat food that does not require a lot of chewing within the first day after your surgery. Examples of these foods would be ice cream or pudding.
Precautions
Right after the surgery, you should take care not to eat hot foods because the heat form this food may stand a chance of loosening the blood clot that is forming on the extraction site. You should also take care not to use a straw on the first day as well because the suction that is created might dislodge the blood clot and prevent healing.
What to expect a few days after the surgery
At this point, you can introduce more food back into your diet. You can chew more, but to be on the safe side, avoid chewing on the side of your mouth that the surgery is on. The clot will still be healing at this point, so you still have to be cautious.
Precautions
It is important to still keep the food that you eat soft, to avoid irritating or dislodging the healing blood clot. Also, alcohol consumption should be avoided for the first 24 to 48 hours following the surgery. Alcohol may interact with the post-op medications that your dentist will have prescribed and will delay the healing process.
What to expect a few weeks after the surgery
For the one to two weeks that follow the surgery, you can slowly begin to go back to your normal diet. However, it would still be important not to chew using the teeth that are on the same side as the surgery, just to make sure the healing process continues.
Precautions
After meals, it would be important to make sure that the area is clean, to avoid any infections from forming. Ask your dentist when you can resume your normal brushing and flossing habits.
As long as you can maintain a clean mouth during the recovery period, no infections should form on the surgical site. However, if you experience pain after the surgery, it would be a good idea to contact your dentist. Pain may be an indication of infection, and your dentist will be able to tell you what to do. In the end, it pays to listen to the instructions given after your surgery. Just be cautious, if you take the right precautions and follow your dentist’s recommendations after the surgery, you will not have to stick to soft food forever.