Eating and drinking after dental surgery: what is now allowed

Dental surgery is a painful procedure that will keep you busy for a few days afterwards. We show you what you can eat and drink in the period after a dental operation.

The right food after a dental operation

In the days after a dental operation, your teeth are still very sensitive and must not be stressed too much.

• The anesthetic continues for a while after the procedure. You should therefore avoid hot drinks. You could burn yourself because you lack the necessary feeling in the mouth. After the effects of the anesthesia have subsided, the consumption of hot drinks is no longer a problem.
• In most cases, you will be anesthetized locally at the affected area during a dental operation. This anesthetic continues to work for about 8 hours, which is why you should not eat anything during this time, as you can bite your tongue and inflict large sores without being noticed.
• You are usually prescribed antibiotics after the operation. You should therefore avoid dairy products during this time, as the consumption of the antibiotic is inhibited or completely ineffective. In addition, the contained lactic acid bacteria can cause inflammation on the wound.
• In order to protect the teeth after the operation and to let the wound heal quickly, it is best to eat dishes with a soft texture for the first few days, which require little chewing. For this reason, soups, purees or soft-boiled vegetables are suitable.
• Once the wound has healed, you can go back to your normal eating habits.

Drinking after dental surgery

Even if drinking does not strain your teeth, there are still some drinks that you should avoid after dental surgery.

• Caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee and black tea are not very useful after dental surgery, since the caffeine increases blood pressure. This can lead to subsequent bleeding, which can slow down the healing process considerably.
• You should also avoid alcohol during the healing process, because this can also slow it down. Alcohol also causes the blood to clot more and therefore bleeding can occur.
• Fruit juices, especially citrus fruits, contain a lot of acid, which is why they are not suitable after an operation. The best thing to do is to do without it completely, but you can still consume it from time to time.
• It is best to drink water or unsweetened tea. Tea also has an antibacterial effect and thus supports the recovery of the wound.

In the next article we will explain to you whether you should smoke after a tooth has been extracted.