Foods to Eat After Dental Work

Dental operations, such as wisdom tooth extractions and root canals, are often necessary to maintain proper oral health; however, even minor dental work can leave your jaws and teeth too sore to handle most foods. A well-balanced soft diet is the cure for your empty stomach after surgery.

Fruits

• Eat soft fruits such as peaches and bananas. Slices of orange and grapefruit are edible if you remove the membrane. Apples may be difficult to eat, so eat applesauce as a substitute. If the post-surgery pain is severe, drink fruit juice. Avoid dried fruits.

Vegetables

• Many vegetables may be too crunchy for you to chew. However, mashed potatoes are common in a soft diet. You can also drink vegetable juice. Use a juicer to mix servings of fruits and vegetables into a drink.

Grain

• Oatmeal is a good source of grain when following a soft diet; however, eating hot oatmeal may irritate your mouth. Pastas are generally soft enough for you to eat after oral surgery.

Meat

• According to Nutrition Northwest, protein helps your body heal after the surgery. If you don't get enough protein in your soft diet, your recovery will take longer. Canned tuna is a moist and tender meat that isn't hard to chew. Scrambled eggs and creamy peanut butter are examples of soft meat substitutes. Avoid tough steaks and large hamburgers.

Dairy

• Dairy products also offer large amounts of protein. Drink milk and eat yogurt, and as a small prize for enduring the pain, treat yourself to ice cream.

Beverages

• While beverages are good source of nutrients during your recovery, avoid hot drinks. In addition, don't use a straw as the suction may cause complications. For example, if you drink from a straw after a wisdom tooth extraction, you may loosen the blood clot and develop a dry socket. Stay away from alcohol, especially if you're taking medicine to ease the pain in your mouth. Mixing alcohol and acetaminophen, an ingredient in some pain relievers, can damage your liver.