Dental implants are a fantastic way to replace missing teeth and restore your smile! However, the recovery process after implant surgery requires special care when it comes to your diet. Choosing the right foods can promote healing and ensure the success of your implants. Here are Chapel Hill Oral Surgery’s recommendations for your diet after implant surgery:

Foods to Avoid During Dental Implant Recovery

Throughout the entire dental implant recovery process, you need to avoid foods that could irritate or encourage infection of the implant sites. These foods include:

  • Extremely hot foods and drinks: Foods served at incredibly high temperatures, like boiling hot coffee, can irritate the surgical sites.
  • Spicy, acidic, or sugary foods: Foods that are very spicy, acidic, naturally high in sugar, or that contain added sugar can also irritate and delay healing.
  • Foods with small particles: Foods that have particulate bits that could get lodged in the site of implant placement, such as fruit with seeds, nuts, or crunchy foods, should be avoided.

Throughout the recovery process, you should also avoid chewing on the sites of dental implant placement. This requirement may be more challenging for patients who undergo full-mouth restoration, but avoiding direct pressure on implants until they are fully integrated into the jawbone is crucial to implant success.

Nutritious Foods to Aid Your Recovery

To ensure your body is healthy enough to recover from dental implant placement, getting all your vitamins and minerals is important. While meeting all other requirements, make sure you eat highly nutritious foods and drink plenty of water.

The First 48 Hours: No Chewing Required

For the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, you should avoid chewing altogether while still meeting all your nutritional requirements. Stick to highly nutritious foods that require no chewing. Examples include:

  • Warm broth
  • Hummus
  • Pureed and seedless vegetables, fruit, and beans
  • Sugar-free plain yogurt (a lot of flavored yogurts either have added sugar or chunks of seeded fruit in it, so stick with plain)
  • Protein shakes (you cannot use a straw to drink these shakes)

After 48 Hours: Soft, Easily Mashed Foods

After 48 hours, you can move to foods that can be broken apart with just your tongue. You still want to avoid chewing for the most part, but you can start having nutritious foods that are a little more solid. Examples include:

  • Mashed potatoes or yams
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Warm soup
  • Beans and tofu
  • Soft, seedless fruits like bananas and pears (especially if they are baked to become extra soft)
  • Steamed seedless vegetables

After One Week: Gradual Introduction of Soft Chewing

After your first week of recovery, as it feels comfortable to you, you can move on to very soft foods that only require a little chewing to eat. Examples include:

  • Fish
  • Healthy, non-crunchy snacks
  • Seedless vegetables and fruit that are not crunchy
  • Meat that is easy to chew

Full Recovery: Enjoy Your Favorite Foods

Finally, once your recovery process is complete and your dental implant provider has added the final restorations to your smile, you can eat your favorite foods as you normally would.

Learn More About Dental Implants at Chapel Hill Oral Surgery

If you’re considering dental implants or have any questions about post-operative care, Chapel Hill Oral Surgery is here to help. We offer a wide range of oral surgery services, including dental implant placement, and we’re committed to providing our patients with the highest quality care. Learn more about dental implants and how we can help you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile.