Having your wisdom teeth removed can be a daunting prospect, but often it’s the most necessary procedure to protect and maintain your perfect smile.
Whether it’s because it was impacted, causing severe discomfort or prone to infection, wisdom tooth extraction is one of Australia’s most common dental procedures – so our experts
know what they’re doing. If you’re experiencing pain, discomfort or seeing other worrying signs, we have information to help you understand every aspect of wisdom teeth removal signs.
But aftercare is just as important to maintain your healthy teeth and gums and ensure you don’t get any further complications. This brings us to the all-important question: What can you eat after you’ve removed your wisdom tooth?
What to eat after wisdom tooth removal
A wisdom tooth removal is necessary for many, but there is the issue of what to eat directly following the extraction! Of course, eating solid and harder foods is a big no in the immediate aftermath, but here is a list of ideal things to consider on the days following your surgery:
Blended soups and broths
This one’s at the top of most people’s list when it comes to what to eat after a trip to the dentist – especially when you’ve had an extraction.
Soups are generally full of important nutrients and vitamins that can aid your recovery and have the added benefit of keeping you hydrated. They’re easy to consume and who doesn’t love a good soup?
Soups that have been blended don’t have the same kind of pesky chunks that you might find in other soup and can be the perfect remedy to your affected area – but make sure it’s not too hot when you eat it, as it could cause some pain in your sensitive socket!
Broths are similar to soup in that they’re liquid-based and like soups, have a range of minerals that are excellent for your health. Again, ensure your food is lukewarm before you consume it, so you don’t irritate your affected area.
Yoghurts
Yoghurt is another excellent choice for post-extraction food because there is no fuss or effort when it comes to eating them. The fact that many yoghurts – Greek yoghurt in particular – contain a lot of calcium, zinc and other vitamins is only good news for your teeth and your recovery following your wisdom tooth extraction.
But it doesn’t stop there – Greek yoghurt, for example, is high in protein, and it’s quite possible that eating high-protein foods following your surgery can aid recovery time.
Not to mention the ultimate positive for yoghurts is that they’re cooling! You can take the health benefits and the nice cooling sensation for your sore mouth.
Scrambled eggs
Yet another food on the list that can aid your recovery whilst taste great is eggs. Like yoghurt, they’re high in protein and have excellent levels of minerals and nutrients.
Ever the versatile food source, scrambling your eggs will make them easy to chew and consume following a wisdom tooth extraction.
Eggs high in omega-3 could further speed up your recovery time, so if you find any eggs that show they’re particularly enriched, opt for those ones.
Soft fruit
It’s important to be careful when opting for fruit following a wisdom tooth extraction, but the high levels of nutrients and health-positive vitamins in a wide variety of fruit can aid your recovery and make you feel back to normal in no time.
Bananas should be your first port of call, as they’re not acidic, not difficult to eat and – if you’re feeling particularly sore – they can be mashed up and made even easier to eat. The wide variety of minerals in bananas, such as potassium and vitamin B6, will help your recovery.
Avocados are another soft fruit worthwhile eating after your wisdom tooth removal, as they are high in healthy fats and essential nutrients but low in carbohydrates. They’re soft, creamy and easy to eat without any discomfort – and avocados can be mashed, too, to make them even easier to consume!
Smoothies
Smoothies have become ever more popular in recent years, and there are plenty of reasons why. They’re an excellent way to get all your necessary nutrients from fruit and veg in a quick and easy manner – and there’s a smoothie for everyone.
Why not add some Greek yoghurt or protein powder to your regular smoothie to add even more essential, recovery-boosting nutrients – and it’s best to avoid seeded fruit (such as berries) as there’s always a chance the seeds will get into your wound.
Oats and oatmeal
Vitamins, minerals, fibre… oats contain a huge variety of health-boosting properties and making instant oatmeal can be quick, easy and an excellent choice post-surgery.
But note, it’s best to wait a couple of days at least before eating oatmeal as it can be lumpy and require a little more chewing than would be wise in the immediate aftermath. And make sure you don’t eat it too hot to avoid further discomfort or complications.
Fish
Eating certain fish following a wisdom tooth extraction is an excellent choice, especially fish rich in essential proteins and healthy fats such as omega-3. Salmon is one such fish, and along with being soft and easy to chew, it can provide critical minerals that have the potential to aid your recovery and reduce inflammation.
Pairing your salmon with other soft food like mashed potatoes could be an excellent, easy-to-eat and nutritious meal in the days following your wisdom tooth extraction.
Ice cream
Everyone’s favourite food whenever cooling down is needed, ice cream can be an excellent remedy to that soreness and sensitivity in your mouth.
While you should take care with many ice creams containing high levels of sugars and fats, there are a number of options out there that are less on the unhealthy side and can potentially aid your recovery – as well as your sweet tooth!
Dairy-free ice creams are way more popular and accessible these days, so choosing one of these as your ice cream of choice following a wisdom tooth extraction could be an excellent choice. While not as high in sugars and fats, it also helps cut out unnecessary dairy consumption, which could hamper your recovery.
When can I eat solid food after wisdom teeth removal?
While it’s important to note that everyone is different, there are some general rules regarding what to eat – and when – following your wisdom tooth removal. You can eat solid foods usually from around day 4 of recovery onwards, meaning before this time, you should take care to avoid solid food and focus on eating softer foods that will cause minimal disruption to your recovery.
It’s best to slowly build up by eating things like eggs and oatmeal before jumping straight from soft foods to a normal diet.
When can I eat cereal after wisdom tooth removal?
Once again, it’s worth noting that everyone is different, but a full recovery from your wisdom tooth extraction can take weeks – and you risk extending that and disrupting that if you eat food like cereal too soon.
It’s best to avoid sharper foods like cereal, crisps and fried food until day seven and later to avoid any further complications or pain – there’s nothing worse than getting a salty crisp stuck into a wound that’s still healing in your mouth! As long as you’re patient, you can eat your favourite food again in no time.
Can you eat toast after wisdom tooth removal?
Toast is tricky to navigate following your wisdom tooth removal, as eating crunchy bread can be detrimental to your recovery if you further irritate your wound. However, from day three onwards, when you’re eating food such as oatmeal and eggs, try eating toast around then to get a feel for how you’re recovering.
If you experience any further discomfort or sensitivity when trying to eat toast, revert back to the softer foods we’ve suggested and stay on the side of caution.
How long after wisdom teeth removal can I eat normally?
As with our previous advice, be mindful that each and every person is different when it comes to recovery times and how long it will take for each stage of the healing process. That said, as a general rule, it takes roughly 2-6 weeks to completely heal from a wisdom tooth removal – but you’ll feel as good as normal from around two weeks onwards.
As long as you avoid things such as excessive dairy, smoking, drinking and caffeine – and don’t rush yourself into eating normal foods too soon – you (and your smile) should be as good as new in no time at all.