Tips For Eating In The Hours After Your Dental Implant Procedure

If you are getting ready to undergo a procedure to receive dental implants, you may be nervous about the first few hours after the surgery. This is especially true if you are wondering if there is anything special you should do to take care of them to ensure that they heal properly. If so, use the following tips for what to eat during the hours after your dental implant procedure.

Eat Only Soft Foods

After the numbing medication has worn off, you may decide that you are hungry enough to eat something. However, you should choose your food carefully since eating the wrong thing may send you back to your dentist.

If you eat anything hard or something with a rough texture, you risk tearing open the incision in your gum around the surgical site and dislodging the implant. Even if you do not cause damage, the pressure required to bite down and chew could cause you pain and discomfort.

For the first few hours, stick to soft foods that either require little to no chewing or ones that you can easily mash in your mouth by using your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Soft foods such as oatmeal, pudding, or bananas are ideal. 

Stay away from Hot Foods or Beverages

When selecting what you can eat, you should also pay attention to the temperature of the food along with the texture. Especially during those first few hours, stay away from anything hot.

If you eat or drink something hot, the heat from the food or beverage could dissolve any small clots that have formed in and around the implant site. These clots not only keep the sites from bleeding, but they also form a protective barrier from bacteria and food particles. If they become dislodged, you open your gums up to possible infection and bleeding.

Try to stick with foods that are either lukewarm or cool. If you do decide to eat something you or someone else has cooked for you, make sure you let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to cool down. Before taking a bite, place a little bit on your tongue to check the temperature. 

What you do in the first few hours after your dental implant procedure can help lay the foundation for faster healing and the overall success of the implants. For more information on how to take care of your new dental implants, speak with a dentist, like John S. Lyon DDS.