If you plan to take pain medication, you’ll need to eat something to help coat your stomach and prevent nausea. You may not feel like eating anything after your surgery, and that’s okay because the wound will need at least an hour to form a blood clot so it can stop bleeding. If your dentist didn’t give you gauze to take home and you don’t have any tea, you can buy dental gauze from most drugstores.

A few days before your surgery, stock up on fruits and veggies for smoothies or buy as many pre-made shakes you need to get through the first 48 hours.

Just be sure to chop or process solids like meats and veggies into small bits the first day you transition away from liquid or mushy foods.

Let the food rest on your tongue for a bit so your saliva can soften it up.

If you accidentally get food lodged in the extraction site, gently swish it out with warm saltwater. [6] X Expert Source Alina Lane, DDSBoard Certified Dentist Expert Interview. 21 April 2020. Don’t pick at it or try to get it out with your finger, a toothbrush, or a toothpick. If the food doesn’t come out after swishing and exacerbates any pain or swelling, call your dentist or oral surgeon right away.

Using wide-mouthed straws or 2 straws isn’t a better option so try to avoid straws altogether.

Try adding cocoa powder, banana, or frozen berries to sweeten up your smoothie. Don’t add any small seeds like flax or chia because they could scrape your gums or get lodged in the site of the extraction. Avoid making smoothies with fruits like blackberries and strawberries because the seeds may not fully break down in the blender.

If you like, grind up the vegetables, noodles, and chicken and put them back into the soup for a serving of protein. Make sure the soup or broth isn’t too hot because excessive heat can irritate the wound.

Oats contain a type of fiber that boosts your immune system, speeding up your recovery process. Try making overnight oats by combining equal amounts of old-fashioned (rolled) oats and your choice of milk in a bowl or jar. Stir or shake the mixture before sealing and refrigerating it for at least 6 hours.

You can also make soft poached, boiled, or sunny-side-up eggs. Add thin slices of avocado on top for a healthy serving of omega 3 fatty acids.

Feel free to add spices and herbs like paprika, cilantro, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme for a burst of flavor.

If you want to have harder cheeses, use a fine grater to shred them first and don’t eat the tough skins.

You can add solid proteins and vegetables to your potatoes after day 3—just be sure to cook and dice them well so you don’t have to chew as much. Add water or milk to the potatoes before you mash them to make them thinner.

For instance, avoid getting a flavor of ice cream that has waffle cone pieces or chewy cookie bits in it. You should also avoid yogurt that has blackberries or strawberries blended at the bottom. The seeds can get stuck in the wound.

This includes all types of tortillas, flatbreads, and pizzas. You may be able to enjoy extremely soft varieties of bread like sweet Hawaiian rolls after 1 week.

This includes soups with rice or grains in them. If you only have pre-made soup with these grains, use a fine mesh strainer to remove them.

Hard, crunchy foods should be the last thing you reintroduce into your diet once you’re healed up.

For example, pieces of dried rosemary leaves can scratch or get stuck in the extraction site, so choose ground rosemary powder instead.

If you can’t go without pasta, macaroni and cheese is a soft, easy-to-eat option. Be sure to use lots of milk or water so it’s soft and creamy. Cooked polenta is also a great way to satisfy a craving for pasta while your gums are recovering.