How to Help Your Child Remain Consistent with Invisalign
Any time you invest in your child’s health, you want to ensure the outcome. Here, we discuss ways to help your teen get with the program and get the most out of Invisalign®.
What to Eat (and Avoid) After Dental Implants
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.
The first days after 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.
The first weeks after your dental implant surgery
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:
- Eggs and omelets
- Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and soft cheeses
- Potatoes
- Lean meats
- Soft fruits and steamed vegetables
- Soft breads, pasta, and oatmeal
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.
Foods to avoid completely
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:
- Chips
- Popcorn
- Hard-to-chew fruits and vegetables
- Chewy foods, like bagels and gummies
- Sticky foods, like taffy and caramels
- Acidic foods, like tomatoes and oranges
- Spicy foods
- Very hot foods and drinks
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.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Which Type of Crown Is Best for Me?
Crowns are one of our most powerful tooth restoration tools, but not all crowns are made equally. In this blog, our experts give you their take on the different types of crowns and help you decide which is right for you.
Is a Knocked-Out Baby Tooth a Dental Emergency?
Nothing’s worse than seeing your child get injured, especially when blood is involved. Mouth injuries can be scary because they tend to bleed a lot, but a knocked-out tooth isn’t always as bad as it seems. Here’s what to do if it happens to your kid.
Dealing with Jaw Pain? Try Botox
You might know it primarily as a cosmetic treatment, but Botox® is more than a one-trick pony. Here’s an inside look at how the popular wrinkle-reducer can tackle jaw pain.
Is My Child Too Young for Braces?
You want your child to have the healthiest smile possible, but traditional braces may not be the best option — at least not yet. Here, our experts discuss the complexities of pediatric orthodontics so you can better understand your child’s options.
Why Do Teeth Lose Their Whiteness with Age?
So much good comes from getting older, but it’s impossible to ignore the obvious physical and cosmetic drawbacks. Here, we dive into why your teeth have lost their shimmer over the years and show you how to get it back.