One procedure offered at our dental practice is tooth extraction. This might be for a patient who needs to have wisdom teeth removed, or for someone whose teeth were damaged or cracked in an accident. Other patients may need to have a tooth extraction due to decay, infection, or overcrowding.
How Soon After a Tooth Extraction Can I Eat?
After a tooth extraction, it’s important to give your mouth time to start healing before you eat solid foods. For the first 24 hours, stick to liquids and very soft foods like yogurt, pudding, and applesauce. Avoid hot liquids and foods that require chewing. After the initial 24-hour period, you can gradually introduce more solid, but still soft, foods as your mouth heals.
25 Soft Foods to Eat After Tooth Extraction
Yogurt, pudding, applesauce, ice cream (without crunchy bits), smoothies, mashed potatoes, soup (blended or pureed), broth, Jello, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, soft tofu, oatmeal, cream of wheat, avocado, hummus, mashed banana, mashed pumpkin, blended vegetable soup, soft rice, soft pasta, steamed and mashed carrots, polenta, soft-cooked cereals.
Foods to Eat After Tooth Extraction: A Detailed Timeline
First 24 Hours: Liquids and very soft foods: yogurt, pudding, soup, applesauce, gelatin, ice cream without crunchy bits. Avoid swirling liquids in your mouth.
48 Hours After: Introduce more variety: eggs, soft toast, oatmeal, soft tofu. Continue avoiding crunchy, hard, and spicy foods.
3 Days After: Mix in more options: mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, soft rice, pasta, squash, hummus, ripe soft fruits, mashed avocado.
1 Week After: Gradually incorporate harder foods. Monitor for any signs of trouble like bleeding gums. Avoid very hard, crunchy, or sticky foods until fully healed.
What Foods Should I Avoid After a Tooth Extraction?
Hard-to-chew meats, hard vegetables like raw carrots, spicy foods, crusty bread, fruits with peels and seeds, nuts, chips, dried fruit, and sticky foods like gum and taffy.
How Long Does It Take For A Tooth Extraction To Heal?
Each case is different, depending on the extent of work needed to remove your tooth, and your overall health. In general, most patients take about 7-10 days to heal. It is important that you follow our instructions carefully during this time so as not to interfere with the healing process.