Thanks to the chewing power they provide, dental implants will allow you to eat virtually anything you want. However, when you first have them placed, your mouth will need time to recover, so you’ll need to stay away from certain foods for a while. To help you start planning your post-implant surgery diet ahead of time, here’s a look at some of the foods you’ll need to avoid as well as foods that will be okay to eat.
What Kinds of Foods Should You Avoid After Dental Implant Surgery?
You will need to make a point of staying away from foods that can put too much pressure on your implant posts and disrupt the osseointegration process. This includes any type of food that is particularly hard or crunchy, such as apples, raw carrots, or popcorn.
Sticky foods such as taffy or caramel are also best avoided since they can stick to the implant site and increase your risk for an infection. Furthermore, to protect the still-recovering tissues around the implants, you should stay away from spicy, acidic, or hot foods.
Finally, you should plan on refraining from alcohol for at least a couple of weeks after your dental implant surgery. Alcohol can slow down the body’s healing process, and it can even increase the chances of dental implants failing.
What Kinds of Foods are Okay to Eat After Dental Implant Surgery?
For the first 24 to 48 hours after dental implant surgery, you should stick to an all-liquid diet. Eat plenty of vitamin-rich broths and blended soups that can provide your body with the nutrients it needs for a successful healing process.
After the first couple of days, you can start integrating soft foods into your diet. Good choices include applesauce, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, yogurt, and instant oatmeal. You will generally need to stick to soft foods for at least a few weeks following your surgery.
Eventually, you will reach the point where you can return to a normal diet. However, you shouldn’t use your implant posts for chewing until your crown, bridge, or denture has been placed. Thus, whenever you eat, you should make a point of keeping food away from your implants.
Planning ahead for the days after your dental implant surgery can go a long way toward helping the recovery process go as smoothly as possible. If you have any questions or concerns about what your diet will look like after getting your implant posts, talk to your oral surgeon.
About the Practice
At Northern Virginia Oral, Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery, our oral surgeons are proud to help patients in Reston get the care they need to protect and rebuild their smiles. We can place dental implants in order to replace any number of teeth that have been lost or damaged beyond repair. To schedule a consultation at our office, visit our website or call (703) 736-1640.