Foods And Beverages To Avoid After Dental Implant Surgery

Dental implants not only restore your smile, but they also allow you to enjoy a healthier life. Because your implant procedure involves oral surgery, your postoperative recovery period may include lifestyle alterations. Your dentist may recommend that you avoid the following foods and beverages for up to a couple of weeks after your implant procedure. 

Foods That Slow The Healing Process

You will need to avoid certain foods that may slow down the healing process after your implant procedure. These foods include hard raw fruits and vegetables such as apples and carrots. You will be permitted to eat well-cooked fruits and vegetables; however, they must be cooked until they are very soft.

You can also puree them in a food processor or blender. Meat such as steak should also be avoided because they may be difficult to chew. All types of crusty or hard bread should also be avoided, as should potato chips or corn chips. During the chewing process, potato chips and corn chips can scratch the surface of your gum tissue and damage your surgical sites. Embedded pieces of hard corn chips can also raise your risk for a post-surgical infection. Your dentist will also advise you against chewing ice because doing so can cause severe pain and delay healing. 

Beverages To Avoid

In addition to the above foods, you will also need to avoid certain beverages, including highly acidic drinks, such as orange juice and coffee. Alcoholic beverages and drinks containing large amounts of sugar should also be avoided. Consuming sugary drinks can increase the bacterial count in your mouth, and if you are a diabetic, may raise your risk for an oral yeast infection, which can impair your healing. 

You should also avoid drinks that are too hot or too cold, and never drink your beverages through a straw. Doing so raises your risk for a dental condition known as dry socket. After oral surgery, protective blood clots quickly form over your empty sockets.

These protective clots help protect your surgical sites from infection and excessive bleeding. The suction motion from drinking through a straw can dislodge your protective blood clots, raising your risk for oral hemorrhaging. If this happens, see an emergency dentist right away or visit a hospital emergency room. 

After your dental implant procedure, follow your dentist's post-operative instructions about which foods and beverages to avoid and which ones you should consume. With proper care and regular visits to your dentist's office, your implants may last a lifetime. 

To learn more about dental implants, contact a dentist in your area.