After Wisdom Tooth Extractions in Vancouver WA, patients should stick with a soft food diet at first and continue to avoid specific types of food until their mouth heals. It’s important to remember that the extractions leave open wounds that are vulnerable to irritation and infection. Certain food items can get stuck in those wounds and be difficult to remove, even with the cleaning syringe that a clinic such as Lewis Family Dentistry provides.
The patient may not even feel like eating on the same day after Wisdom Tooth Extractions in Vancouver WA. However, the local anesthetic applied by the dentist will prevent pain from developing for several hours, after which taking prescription pain medication is recommended. Most people will begin feeling groggy after this and will likely fall asleep.
Beforehand, however, the person may begin to feel hungry. Soft foods such as ice cream, apple sauce and pudding are suitable. Milkshakes provide protein and are tasty as well, but the patient definitely should not use a straw. Suction may dislodge blood clots in the wounds, and those are important for protecting the open spaces where the teeth were.
If something warm is desired, soup that doesn’t contain ingredients that must be chewed is a good choice. Thoroughly mashed potatoes and squash may be appealing as well. This type of menu can be followed again over the next two or three days until the mouth doesn’t feel so sore.
As healing progresses, patients can start eating more normally, but they should continue to avoid foods that could become lodged in the wounds. For instance, they might eat yogurt for a soft food, but they should avoid yogurt that contains fruit with seeds. Tiny seeds in raspberries, for instance, can be hard to remove if they travel to the area where a tooth was recently pulled. These individuals also should avoid eating popcorn, rye bread with caraway seeds, bread containing millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and any similar items. Hard, crunchy foods such as crackers and pretzels should be OK as long as these substances are chewed with teeth closer to the front of the mouth. The hard particles should be kept away from the extraction areas, as the edges can be sharp and irritate the gums. You can also visit them on Facebook for regular updates.
