When Can I Eat Solid Food After Tooth Extraction?

Wondering what you should eat after extracting your tooth? Proper care after this procedure can decide your speed of recovery. Eating the right food items can help you prevent complications, reduce pain, and promote faster healing. Stick to soft foods for the first few hours. You can gradually introduce hard foods into your diet.

Read this blog to learn how you can take care of your mouth after undergoing tooth extraction and the foods you should consume.

Why Does Your Diet Matter After Tooth Extraction?

Right after the dentist extracts your tooth, your body will start healing itself. A blood clot will form at your extraction site. This will protect the bones and nerves underneath until your new tissue is formed. Solid and hard foods can dislodge your clot and cause conditions like dry sockets. 

You might also irritate the operation site, cause swelling, or introduce infection-causing bacteria. Soft foods will keep your operation site safe. Moreover, nutrition from such food items will speed up your recovery process.

If you are unsure about your diet, you can ask the dentist for advice. 

When can you Start Eating Solid Food After Tooth Extraction?

You have to be patient before consuming solid foods after tooth extraction. Here is a basic timeline to guide you:

Extraction Type 

If you underwent a simple extraction without complications, you can start having solid food items after 24-48 hours. Transition to hard foods after the first week. For surgical extractions, you must consume soft foods for up to a week and then introduce solid food.

Recovery Time

You will heal faster if you are a young individual. Old age might slow down recovery. Health conditions like diabetes, etc, might also affect your speed of healing. Again, multiple extractions might require longer recovery time.

Signs of Healing

As you heal, the swelling and pain at your extraction site will gradually go down. You will be able to chew without any issues. However, you do need a green light from your dentist to know if you have healed or not.

How To Handle Your Diet Progression?

Here is how you can plan out your diet for a smooth recovery:

First 24 hours

Right after completing this procedure, you must only consume broths, smoothies, yogurt, and other very soft or liquid food items. You can protect your extraction site from damage while getting the necessary nutrients for healing.

24-48 Hours

After around 48 hours, you can gradually transition to slightly thicker food items like mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, etc. This gradual change will help you keep up the gradual stages of healing after the treatment. 

2-5 days

You can start consuming soft solids after 2-5 days. You can choose food items like well-cooked pasta, soft fish, cheese, etc. It will help your mouth readjust itself to hard foods in the later stage.

After A Week

After crossing the one-week time span, you can start having harder foods like soft bread, rice, etc, little by little. Around the two-week mark, you can return to your normal diet without any issues. This will help your oral health.

Your timeline for eating hard foods after a tooth extraction depends on the complexity of your procedure, your body’s healing capability, etc. Sticking to soft food items for some time will help you heal without any unnecessary pain and problems. Be patient and prioritize your health.

Are you ready to follow the diet plan? Seek dental advice for more details.