Why can’t you eat after removal?

Many people have to face the procedure of tooth extraction. Quite often, patients experience discomfort after removal. Unfortunately, eliminating pain does not mean complete recovery. Even if the tooth extraction was performed by an experienced specialist, after such a procedure it is imperative to follow all the doctor’s recommendations. First of all, this applies to full oral care. In addition, you need to monitor your diet. After the tooth extraction procedure, you should definitely check with your doctor how long you need to abstain from eating. Depending on the complexity of the removal, the specialist will suggest a specific time frame.

Why can’t you eat after removal?

This recommendation is due to the fact that very rough food can have a traumatic effect on fresh blood clots that form in the socket after tooth extraction. Clots in the hole are needed to protect the removal site from pieces of food getting into it. If the patient neglects the recommendation regarding how much not to eat after tooth extraction, then food debris may get into the wound. This increases the risk of bleeding and inflammation. Also, failure to comply with this instruction can lead to the development of a cyst, which is a serious complication after tooth extraction. To avoid hunger, experts allow patients to drink liquids, such as drinking yoghurt or kefir. You should eat food after tooth extraction very carefully, and you must follow the time interval recommended by the specialist.

General recommendations after tooth extraction

After tooth extraction (extraction), the body needs time and effort to recover. It is important to check with your doctor about how to properly perform hygiene procedures, how many days after you can start playing sports, how long you should not eat after tooth extraction, and what medications you should take.

For 20–30 minutes after surgery, it is necessary to firmly squeeze the tampon applied by the doctor with your teeth. You should not keep it longer: the tampon quickly becomes saturated with blood and saliva and can introduce an infection into the socket. If minor bleeding continues, a new sterile swab should be applied [1, 2].

For the first 3-4 hours after extraction, you can apply a cold compress - ice or frozen food - to the cheek in the area of the operation. It is necessary to wrap them in a clean cloth and keep them for no longer than 20 minutes to prevent hypothermia. Cold constricts blood vessels, helping to reduce pain and swelling. The procedure can be repeated every 15 minutes [1].
You should not drink or eat food for 2–3 hours after surgery while the anesthesia is in effect. Leftover food can injure the wound and damage the blood clot. Anesthesia causes temporary numbness and dulls sensation: there is a risk of severely biting your tongue, cheeks or lips.
It is necessary to check with your doctor about what you can eat with an extracted tooth, and carefully follow the recommendations.
Do not rinse your mouth or use an irrigator. In the process, you can wash off or spit out the blood clot, which will cause the wound to begin to swell and fester. On the recommendation of a doctor, instead of rinsing, you can do anti-inflammatory baths: take the recommended antiseptic solution, hold it in your mouth and after a while carefully spit it out.
There is no need to touch the hole with your tongue, finger, toothbrush, toothpick, apply ointments to it, or try to rinse or clean it. It is important to protect the wound from any external influences and not further injure it.
You can only chew on the side opposite to where the tooth was removed. The socket of an extracted tooth will not be able to heal if food debris gets into it.
You cannot drink through a straw. The vacuum created in the mouth can dislodge the protective blood clot or compromise its integrity.
It is worth limiting physical activity and any exercise that increases blood pressure for several days. High blood pressure becomes a common cause of complications; the wound will bleed and take a long time to heal.
If you have high blood pressure, you need to carefully monitor your blood pressure levels and take appropriate medications if necessary.
It is necessary to avoid taking hot baths, visiting baths, saunas, and solariums. Wash with warm, not hot water. Do not drink hot drinks. Do not heat the area of the extracted tooth or use hot compresses. Elevated temperatures lead to increased blood flow and dilation of blood vessels - bleeding may begin.
It is necessary to maintain oral hygiene and be sure to brush your teeth. Use a new soft-bristled brush, such as the Colgate® Massager Soft, and a minimal amount of toothpaste. It is important not to touch the area of the extracted tooth with the toothbrush. After the wound has healed, you can return to using a toothbrush of your usual hardness.
It is important to follow your doctor’s recommendations and not violate the schedule for taking prescribed medications. You should not take medications without a prescription.
It is necessary to stop drinking alcohol and smoking for at least 2–3 days after surgery. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, so a healing wound may begin to bleed. Nicotine, tar and chemical compounds lead to a sharp contraction of blood vessels, irritate the oral mucosa, increase the risk of infection and slow down regeneration processes [1].
You should not drink alcohol while taking antibiotics.

What is the best thing to eat after tooth extraction?

To reduce the risk of complications, you must follow a gentle diet for the first 3–5 days after surgery.

Eat warm food. Contrasting temperatures irritate tissues, causing blood vessels to dilate or constrict.
The diet should consist of soft, pureed or liquid foods, baked and boiled foods: purees and smoothies from vegetables with a low content of organic acids (carrots, pumpkin, spinach), jellies, yoghurts, cream soups, broths, omelettes, fish or meat cutlets and meatballs, well-cooked porridge, steamed fish.
Drink warm, still water.

What not to eat after tooth extraction

During the postoperative period, you should completely exclude the following foods from your diet:

too hot or cold, rough, spicy, salty, fine-grained foods, fruits with seeds, foods with crunchy, sharp edges, sweets, carbonated drinks and any foods that require intense chewing. Such food can injure the wound and cause inflammation.
strong tea and coffee. Caffeine increases blood pressure and may increase or cause bleeding.
vegetables, fruits and berries, juices, especially freshly squeezed, with a high content of organic acids: lemons, pomegranates, black currants, cranberries, apples, pineapples and others.

Hot meals

During the first 24 hours after tooth extraction surgery, you should not eat hot foods. This is due to the fact that increased temperature can cause vasodilation, which in turn will lead to an increase in blood flow. This situation can provoke the development of recurrent bleeding. Because of this, patients are also prohibited from visiting baths and saunas after removal. If a person neglects this prescription and does not think about the question of how long after surgery he can return to his usual diet, then there is a high risk of developing all kinds of complications. Recommendations for nutrition after tooth extraction are in most cases individual and depend on the specific situation. For some, doctors allow them to eat any food without restrictions just a few hours after the procedure. However, most often you need to wait a little longer.

When can you drink

When asking a specialist how long after tooth extraction you can eat, most patients are also interested in the question of taking liquids. There are no contraindications to clean water, and you can drink it immediately after surgery. However, experts do not recommend rinsing the mouth. This is due to the fact that using liquid from the hole can wash out a blood clot, and this can provoke the development of complications. Experts advise drinking only boiled water, which should not be hot.

What will you have to give up?

After tooth extraction, you should not eat anything spicy, salty or sweet. It is unacceptable to use chewing gum. The following are prohibited:

Berries and fruits that contain a lot of small seeds. The latter will be packed into the hole, which will negatively affect tissue healing or make the regeneration process impossible.
Sunflower seeds, nuts. When chewing them, sharp particles are formed. They will irritate the injured gum and also dig into the hole.
Popcorn, chips and any other “harmful” foods that need to be chewed thoroughly.

Dentists recommend temporarily forgetting about foods that contain a lot of organic acids. These are lemon cranberry, red and black currant, pineapple, cherry, pomegranate, grapefruit, strawberry, tangerines, grapes, chokeberry, quince, guava. When consumed, the pH level in the mouth increases, and this has a bad effect on healing.

Eating food

The period of time during which you cannot eat after tooth extraction depends on the individual characteristics of the patient and the complexity of the operation performed. Most often, a couple of hours after removal, specialists allow you to eat something liquid. Dairy products, such as yogurt or kefir, are good for this. Thanks to such food, the body will quickly be satisfied, and the site of tooth extraction will not be damaged. During your first meal, you should not eat chips, crackers or deep-fried meat. Such hard food will greatly damage the cavity.

What can you eat after tooth extraction?

Until the hole heals and the pain in the damaged gum area completely disappears, preference should be given to products with semi-liquid and liquid consistency. It is very important that they are not too cold or hot. Sudden temperature changes irritate injured tissues, which negatively affects their regeneration.

Particular attention is paid to the composition of the dishes consumed - they must be healthy. After all, after extraction, the body needs additional strength for a speedy recovery.

Healthy examples of foods you can eat after surgery include:

Creamy soup based on natural yogurt or milk. May contain pumpkin, broccoli, legumes. This dish is a natural source of calcium - an element necessary for the restoration of jaw bone tissue. It maintains normal water balance, enriches the body with vitamins and fiber. It is very convenient to eat - you don't need to chew anything. And this is very important when there is a deep wound in the mouth.

Vegetable, meat or fish broth. The best choice on the first day after extraction. Rich in minerals and vitamins that promote tissue healing. If possible, preference should be given to chicken broth. It contains anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
Boiled potato puree. It needs to be made semi-liquid. A source of potassium, which is important for bones and tissues. It contains a large number of calories, which means that the patient will not suffer from a lack of energy during the rehabilitation period after dental treatment.
Omelette. Rich in protein, which is responsible for tissue regeneration. Chewing it is much easier than regular boiled eggs.
Greek yogurt. If you compare it with regular one, then it contains much less harmful sugar, but there is a lot of zinc and calcium. You can eat it without worrying about damaging your oral tissues.
Fruit purees. To prepare them, you can use bananas, apples, and peaches. It is important that the fruit is not sour. For example, oranges will not work.
Avocado. A very healthy fruit. Contains a huge amount of unsaturated fatty acids and ascorbic acid. Significantly accelerates the healing of any wounds. Its pulp also contains oleic acid. In medical circles, it has become famous for its antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.
Salmon. Includes protein and Omega-3. These components are “conductors” of recovery processes. Fish has a pleasant taste, which means that the diet during the recovery period will not be meager and bland.
Cottage cheese. It can be mixed with sour cream or yogurt. Contains calcium and protein.

Jelly lovers can make it from fruits and vegetables. It is easy to chew and quickly absorbed, so it also fits perfectly into the postoperative diet.

After difficult removal

Such removal is carried out when the dental roots are incorrectly located, on unerupted dental units or in the absence of the crown part of the tooth. Also, more complex surgical procedures may be required if the wisdom tooth is located too far away or a cyst has formed next to it. Late erupted wisdom teeth most often create many problems. Basically they grow incorrectly. The formation of a cyst is a bubble filled with cells and bacteria. And if the cyst is not removed on time, this can lead to the development of serious consequences. After such manipulations, sutures are placed at the removal site. The healing period of the gums after complex tooth extraction may vary in each specific case. If the specialist has not stated, then you should definitely clarify how long after the procedure you can start eating. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that when stitches are applied, they will have to be removed after some time. But with sutures, the socket is more reliably protected. However, even in this situation, you should refrain from eating hot, salty or spicy foods immediately after the removal procedure.

When can you drink alcohol?

Any alcoholic drinks are prohibited for 7-10 days after tooth extraction. This is due to the need to take medications whose active ingredients are incompatible with ethanol and can cause severe side effects. This group includes antibacterial and antimicrobial drugs, antihistamines and analgesics, as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory substances.

You can drink alcohol no earlier than 10 days after tooth extraction

Another danger of drinking alcohol after extraction is possible increased bleeding. Alcohol thins the blood and prevents the formation of a dense blood clot consisting of coagulated blood, which can cause the development of alveolitis.

Ethyl alcohol also has a negative effect on the vascular system. Even small doses can cause an increase in blood pressure, which, together with local anesthetic medications, can cause irregular heart rhythms and other heart problems.

Alcohol can cause increased blood pressure and increased bleeding from the socket

Important! Drinking alcohol on the first day after tooth extraction has an extremely negative effect on the immune system. A decrease in protective functions during the recovery period can lead to the development of pathogenic flora in the oral cavity and the development of infectious, inflammatory and purulent diseases.

Video: Is it possible to drink alcohol after tooth extraction?

What is allowed to eat

One day after the operation, you can eat soft and warm food. It is recommended not to consume fried, spicy and salty foods. This is because such dishes can lead to injury to the socket or irritation of the gums. The temperature of the food consumed should not be high. Recommended drinks to drink:

dairy products;
compotes;
natural juices;
still mineral water.

It is better to hold off on drinking hot coffee, tea or very cold drinks with ice.

Soft food

If you answer the question of how long after tooth extraction you can start eating, then you can eat food either on the day of the operation or on the next day. However, it should be remembered that food must be soft at first. In order for the healing period to pass comfortably and quickly, experts recommend consuming soups, liquid cereals, purees, as well as foods enriched with vitamins in the first 2-3 days. The diet should include fruits, but preference should be given only to those with soft flesh. These are peaches, bananas, seedless berries, melon, apricots and persimmons. But it is better to refrain from citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, kiwi, pomegranate and others. The large amount of acid contained in them has a negative effect on irritated gums.

How long does pain last after tooth extraction?

During the removal procedure, the tissue that surrounded the tooth is injured and the gums become inflamed. Due to the effect of anesthesia, the patient does not feel pain immediately after removal. But after a couple of hours, pain may occur. Over time, the pain becomes less and less. The duration of pain depends on numerous factors:

The patient takes medications prescribed by the doctor to speed up healing.
Complexity of the procedure.
Strict compliance with all instructions and recommendations of a specialist.

After a complex removal, pain can spread not only to the gums, but also to the cheek, as well as to neighboring teeth. The healing process after such manipulation will take a little longer. Swelling after tooth extraction usually goes away within a couple of days. If, several days after the procedure, swelling and pain do not go away, then this may be a symptom of the development of complications. In such a situation, you must immediately seek the help of a specialist. In our 3D dental clinic "NovaDent" all surgical procedures are performed using high-quality modern anesthesia. The consultation is conducted by experienced, qualified dental surgeons who remove teeth as carefully as possible. We try to create comfortable living conditions for our patients, and do everything possible to minimize the risks of complications after removal. By making an appointment with our dentistry, you will receive a detailed consultation, be able to undergo highly accurate diagnostics, and also receive high-quality dental services using modern equipment using reliable materials. Sign up right now on our website using the registration form or call the administrators, who will be happy to find a convenient appointment time for you - we work seven days a week and weekends. Phone number to make an appointment with our specialists. Trust your health only to professionals!