What Can I Eat After Dental Implant Surgery?

Are you about to get a dental implant in Sarasota? Then you might be wondering what you need to do to care for it.

As Dr. Robert Miller explained to you, after the metal post is inserted into the jaw, your body will enter a phase called osseointegration. During it, your bone and gum tissue will heal around the implant and keep it firmly in place.

This healing stage can last around 6 months, and it’s very important to take the right steps to support the process. One of the biggest changes you’ll need to make right away has to do with your diet.

Eating After Dental Implant Surgery

Right after your surgery, you should stick to soft foods that don’t require a lot of chewing, at least for the first few days.

Some foods you can eat include:

• Soups
• Smoothies
• Broths
• Mashed vegetables
• Yogurt
• Pudding
• Applesauce, etc.

These foods can help you avoid chewing and accidentally biting your tongue or cheek, especially in the first few hours after the surgery when your mouth is still numb from the anesthesia. 

Most importantly, they reduce the chance that a hard piece of food will accidentally damage the implant site.

After about a week of a soft food diet, you can begin to eat harder foods such as pasta, eggs, boiled or grilled vegetables, soft cheese, or rice. Consider adding tougher foods like steaks back into your diet around 2 weeks after your surgery to give the implant site enough time to heal.

Moreover, you should chew the food on the other side of the mouth to avoid placing pressure on the site.

Other Ways to Support Dental Implant Healing 

Apart from diet, you may want to consider the following tips to help your dental implant heal properly: 

• Avoiding physical activity - When you work out, your blood pressure rises, which can increase your risk of bleeding. Though it’s not major surgery, your body still needs to take it easy for a few days after getting dental implants. You should skip your workouts for 2–3 days, then slowly ease back into it

• Don’t smoke - Smoking affects your overall oral health, but it may also delay your healing. If there were ever a time to quit, this would certainly be it

• Take care of your oral health - Even if you can’t brush directly over the implant site, you should still brush and floss the rest of your teeth. You can also use gentle mouthwash to remove extra bacteria from the mouth

Dealing with Missing Teeth?

Dental implants are a fantastic way to restore your smile. Dr. Robert Miller can help you find out if you’re a good candidate for implants or suggest another way to get you a healthy and happy smile.

Book an appointment at Sarasota Bay Dental today and stop by to learn more.