Safe Foods After a Tooth Extraction
Whether it’s for you or your child, a tooth extraction is a serious procedure that will require at least one day for the patient to recover or possibly more, depending on how many teeth are to be removed and the level of difficulty required to remove them. It’s for this reason that it’s better to schedule the surgery during slower business times and vacation periods—when patients are already more likely to be relaxed. Once the surgery is scheduled, you may be wondering what’s safe to eat following the extraction. As you would expect, softer foods are the ideal choice during recovery, some of which include the following.
Ice Cream
Except in cases of patients’ teeth being particularly sensitive, ice cream is the first of the foods you should eat after an extraction, especially during summer. It's both soft and cool, so it can be comfortably eaten even when the mouth feels tender. Also, given how cold it is, ice cream can help to minimize any naturally-occurring swelling one would expect after an extraction. However, you should still pick your ice cream carefully—soft serve ice cream is the ideal choice after surgery, as it requires fewer jaw muscles to eat. You should also avoid mix-ins and solid sprinkles on top of your ice cream as well as cones.
Cool Soup
Cool, pureed, or lukewarm soups are another great meal choice after a tooth extraction. Depending on the season, however, especially during summer, you may prefer smooth gazpacho rather than a cup of cool broth. Soup is both easy for you to eat after surgery, and it also has a number of nutrients or even protein, which can help your face muscles feel better. If you want to avoid further discomfort, just be sure your soup has been made as smooth as you can get it before you try to eat it. While pasta or a couple of small chunks of vegetables ought to be manageable, try avoiding anything that would require excessive chewing.
Scrambled Eggs
If they have been allowed to cool down, scrambled eggs also work well as a post-extraction food choice. They're heavy on the protein, gentle, and don't call for a lot of effort when it comes to chewing during eating.
Smoothies
With fresh fruits providing one of the easiest ways to get nutrients into the body, they are an easy, go-to snack you should make sure to have after a tooth extraction, and the right way to do it is through smoothies. You can blend fruits together with some kefir or yogurt to add calcium, protein, and probiotics into the drink. Using yogurt or another kind of dairy product in a smoothie also keeps it from being too acidic and therefore makes it less likely to aggravate tender gums.
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