Knowing what to eat and what to avoid can make recovery after dental implant surgery a breeze. Eating soft foods that are easy to chew after getting dental implants is essential because your body needs nutrition to fuel your recovery. A dentist that offers consultation will give you a list of avoidances after dental implants to make the post-operative healing stages easier to cope with. In this article, we are going to explain which foods to avoid after dental implant.
Why Your Diet Needs Modification After Dental Implant Surgery
Dental implants are placed in a surgical procedure. Your dentist needs to cut through your gums and drill into the underlying jaw bone to place them. After the procedure, your gums will feel tender as you heal, and it will take some time for the inflammation to subside. For this reason, you will need to change your dietary habits and only eat very soft foods that are easy to chew for at least the first week after dental implant surgery.
Foods To Avoid After Dental Implant
There are a few different types of food to avoid after dental implant. If you get a consultation at your local dental clinic, you will be given a complete list of foods to avoid.
Foods To Avoid After Dental Implants: Dairy Products
Your dentist will advise you to avoid eating dairy products after your procedure. This is because dairy products cause an inflammatory response in the mouth, and this could put your dental implants at risk.
Foods To Avoid: Crunchy, Hard Foods
Hard, crunchy foods can lacerate your gum tissue, which can introduce bacteria to the area surrounding your dental implant. They are counter-productive to the healing process and should be avoided until you have healed from your surgery.
Foods To Avoid: Sticky Food
Food that gets stuck to your teeth also poses the risk of sticking to your dental implant. Foods like caramel and toffee are difficult to clean and introduce a lot of sugar to your mouth.
Foods To Avoid: Acidic Foods
Highly acidic foods like tomatoes and fruit juice can irritate the dental implant site.
A highly acidic environment breeds more bacteria, which puts you at a higher risk of infection.
When you have dental implants, you want to avoid a condition called peri-implantitis, which causes inflammation of the soft tissue around your restoration.
Foods To Avoid: Hot And Spicy Foods
Very spicy and hot foods and beverages can also cause irritation to your dental implant sites. This can also slow down recovery and even increase your risk of infection.
Other Notes On Recovering After Dental Implants
- Alcohol should be avoided after dental implant surgery because it slows down healing and contributes to increased swelling.
- Any foods that are very hard or chewy should also be avoided because they overwork the jaw.
- Try to eat soft foods that require little to no chewing. Try to include as much protein as possible to assist with post-operative recovery.
- Make sure you drink plenty of water. Anaesthesia can cause dehydration.
To find out more or for a dental consultation near you, please contact us: (03) 5749 1208.
REFERENCES
Dental implant surgery
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/dental-implant-surgery/about/pac-20384622
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