At 3 days post-extraction, you can start to introduce soft chicken if it's finely shredded or ground and very tender, but it's safer to wait until days 4-7 for soft meats like this, ensuring it's cooked thoroughly and you chew on the opposite side to avoid disturbing the blood clot and causing infection. Prioritize very soft foods (yogurt, mashed potatoes) initially, and if chicken causes any pain or discomfort, stop and go back to softer options.
The First 3-5 Days: Avoid Chicken Entirely. For the first 3 to 5 days after your extraction, it is crucial to avoid chicken entirely. This initial period is the most critical for blood clot formation, and chicken's fibrous texture requires chewing that can easily dislodge the clot.
After One Week: When You Can Typically Resume Normal Eating
Most patients can return to a regular diet within 7 to 10 days after a simple extraction. However, healing times vary depending on the complexity of the procedure, your overall health, and how well you follow post-operative care instructions.
Healing takes time, and day 3 after the extraction can feel the toughest because of swelling, inflammation, and more use of the mouth. But this is part of the healing process. If you follow your dentist's instructions, rest, and take care of the area, you should start feeling better after day 3.
You will be able to go to Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, Cook Out or Bojangles in about three or four days. Avoid the hard and crunchy foods for a week. Find out more below. The painless removal of a tooth is known as a tooth extraction.
Avoid meat that is hard to chew such as beef, pork, and chicken for at least a few days. Instead, eat a flaky fish or tofu. A patient can also make a vegetable soup using his or her favorite veggies and spices. Some soups like potato and carrot, are delicious when one blends them, which is even easier to eat.
Juices, both fruit and vegetable, are the best. Others that qualify are those that are canned or cooked without seeds or skins. Fresh vegetables include avocados, tomatoes and potatoes without the skins. Acceptable fresh fruits include bananas, pureed berries put through a strainer to remove skins and seeds, and melon.
When food particles remain lodged in the tooth socket, they can attract bacteria. This environment is ideal for infection, which can impede the healing process and result in more severe dental problems. Signs of infection include swelling, redness, and pus around the extraction site.
Protein-Rich Foods for Healing
Protein is essential for healing after a tooth extraction as it helps repair tissues and build new cells. Some great protein-rich options include eggs, fish, chicken, and tofu. Scrambled eggs or an omelet are great options as they are soft and easy to chew.
Here are some great go-to's that are actually satisfying:
Protein
Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
After undergoing oral surgery to remove your wisdom teeth, a creamy tomato basil soup with parmesan will help you reach recovery sooner, and heal the freshly open wounds by regulating blood pressure and bolstering heart health.
Patients should not bend over or do heavy lifting for 2-3 days. In most cases, walking and light physical activity is encouraged after the first day. This will also help with swelling and help get patients back into their normal routines.
When food gets stuck in a wisdom tooth hole (also known as a socket), it can lead to discomfort, swelling, and an increased risk of infection. If left unchecked, food particles may cause irritation and bad breath. It's important to clean the area gently to avoid complications, such as an infection or delayed healing.
Signs a wound is infected include pain, redness that spreads, swelling, skin that is warm to touch, and pus. Symptoms such as fever, having general aches and pains, or feeling generally unwell may indicate sepsis, and requires urgent medical care.
When adhering to a soft diet, focus on the following foods: Protein like chicken, turkey, ground meats, tender cuts of beef and pork, fish, eggs, creamy nut butters and tofu. Fruits like bananas, avocados, seedless melon, peeled apples, peaches and pears or fruit juice without pulp.
Vegetable and Green Juices
Cold-pressed juices with greens like kale, spinach, parsley, and broccoli provide vitamins A, C, and K, which aid immune support, collagen synthesis, tissue repair, and reduce inflammation.
Smooth nut butter mixed with cream or milk to Level 4 Pureed food. Soft cream cheese, smooth pate, humus and meat/fish/bean paste. These can be eaten on their own. Crisps, nuts, pretzels, Bombay mix, crackers, flatbread.
A diet of soft, nutrient-rich foods that don't require much chewing helps speed recovery and minimize irritation. Is it safe to eat meat after a tooth extraction? Tender meats like fish or shredded chicken can usually be added after 4–5 days, but avoid tough or chewy cuts until healing improves.
It's essential to keep your mouth clean after oral surgery. You should keep using warm salt water rinses at least twice daily for seven days.
You'll be able to return to routine activities within 48 to 72 hours of a tooth extraction. But it usually takes the jawbone several weeks to heal completely.
The socket becomes swollen and irritated. It may fill with bits of food, making the pain worse. If you get a dry socket, the pain usually begins 1 to 3 days after the tooth removal. Dry socket is the most common complication following tooth removals, such as the removal of third molars, also called wisdom teeth.
Chewy and hard foods can become lodged within the extraction sites and impact the healing process. It is also best to avoid chewing on the side of the extraction. Blowing your nose or sneezing can lead to an increase of pressure within the oral cavity, which can disrupt the blood clot.
You'll be able to return to routine activities within 48 to 72 hours of a tooth extraction. But it usually takes the jawbone several weeks to heal completely.