You’ve waited a long time for your new smile, but there’s one more phase to get through before you can truly enjoy it: recovery.
Recovery from dental implant surgery looks different for everyone, but it typically takes 2-4 weeks, depending on how your procedure went and whether or not you needed a bone graft or multiple extractions and implantations.
Our dental implant patients at Rifkin Dental in Carmel and Yorktown Heights, New York, are anxious to get back to normal life once their surgeries are over, and our expert dentists want to make sure you cross the finish line safely.
Here, we walk through a few food dos and don’ts following your dental implant surgery.
Immediately following your procedure, your mouth is tender, swollen, and in a very delicate state of healing. During the first 24-48 hours, you should stick to a cool liquid diet, which includes smoothies, cold soups, applesauce, gelatin, and even ice cream.
Avoid drinking from a straw, as the suction can put pressure on your surgery site. We also recommend that you avoid smoking and drinking alcohol and soda for at least the first few weeks.
Once your mouth has started to heal, you can add a few more options to your menu and transition into a soft-food diet.
During this phase, your implants have begun integrating with your jawbone, and you likely have some temporary dental devices in place that aren’t meant for tough chewing. We recommend eating:
Remember that a soft-food diet doesn’t have to be an unhealthy diet. In fact, the best foods at this point in your recovery are rich in protein and other nutrients that aid the healing process. Protein is crucial to recovery because it helps build and repair damaged tissue, and it can help you ward off infections.
Make sure you’re eating regularly, not skipping meals. Many of our patients experience decreased appetite after surgery, but it’s important to give your body what it needs to recover properly.
You might also consider adding protein and vitamin supplements to your diet to make sure you’re getting adequate nutrition during recovery.
To prevent damaging your new implants and stalling the healing process, we recommend avoiding these foods for at least the first few weeks after your dental implant surgery:
When in doubt, stick to cool or warm foods that are easy to chew. You’re not far from enjoying your favorite candies, chomping on a steak, or biting into an apple. With a few more weeks of diligent care, you’ll finally be able to fully enjoy your new smile.
If you still have questions about any part of the dental implant process, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment online or over the phone today at our Rifkin Dental location closest to you.
