Oral Surgery

Food Suggestions for Oral Surgery Recovery

Food suggestions for oral surgery recovery

At Austin Oral Surgery, we suggest that our patients stick to cool, soft foods 24 hours following the oral procedure. You immediately may think of sweet foods when you think of cool, soft foods, but there are many savory foods you can eat following an oral procedure. Because it is important to maintain your normal daily calorie intake, here are a few savory food options.

What to Eat Following Surgery

Most of the soft, cold foods often suggested to eat are sweet, such as ice cream, pudding, and applesauce. For savory alternatives, smooth soups at room-temperature or even cold soups like gazpacho are great options. However, make sure the soup has no large chunks that could get lodged in socket areas.

After the First 24 Hours

After the initial 24 hours, you have a little more leeway when it comes to savory food options. Try introducing mashed potatoes or avocados. For a protein fix, try scrambled eggs or a fine tuna salad. Make sure these foods are cool or lukewarm until bleeding has stopped, and if you need to chew, avoid chewing on surgical site areas. If you have no problems with these types of foods, you can begin to introduce more substantial foods as well. For instance, you can start to eat pasta, beans, or even tender vegetables and meats.

What to Avoid

Like what we have explained in our post-operative instructions sheet, alcoholic and carbonated beverages should be avoided for 5 days to reduce the risk of developing dry socket. Also, because many of the foods we suggest are soft or liquid, you may be tempted to use a straw, but this could disrupt the healing process. Anything that creates suction in the mouth, even sticky foods like peanut butter, should be avoided until fully healed–suction can dislodge the clots your mouth needs to heal.

If you have any questions about what to eat following an oral surgery, do not hesitate to contact us at Austin Oral Surgery. We are here for you to address each and every concern.