After getting dental implants, what you eat in the days and weeks that follow can affect the success of your procedure. Careful food choices during the healing process help your dental implants and jawbone fuse, providing reliable support for your replacement teeth. The periodontist at Chattanooga Periodontics & Dental Implants explain how patients in Dalton, Georgia, can make food choices that support a smooth recovery.
What Can You Eat After Dental Implant Surgery?
After getting dental implants, a nutritious soft-food diet will help protect your implants as they heal. You will begin with liquids and foods that require no chewing and gradually progress to foods requiring minimal chewing to non-crunchy foods that require more chewing. At Chattanooga Periodontics & Dental Implants in Dalton, Georgia, our suggestions for patients can help you enjoy nutritious, flavorful foods during recovery.
First Days 1-3
During the first days after surgery, limit your diet to liquids and soft foods that require no chewing. Avoid fruits with tiny seeds that may lodge in the surgical site, such as strawberries or kiwi. Foods to eat during the first week include:
- Broth
- Warm herbal tea
- Hummus
- Smoothies
- Pureed seedless fruits and vegetables, beans, or protein
- Yogurt
Days 4-7
You can progress to nutritious foods that require minimal chewing to reduce inflammation and help your body recover. Foods that require minimal chewing include:
- Eggs
- Soup
- Steamed seedless vegetables
- Soft or baked seedless fruits
- Beans
- Mashed potatoes, yams, or other tubers
- Fish
- Meats, tofu, or other protein requiring minimal chewing
Second Week Onward
After Dr. Felts or Dr. Randall confirms that your dental implant recovery is steady, you can begin eating foods that require more chewing while avoiding sticky and crunchy foods. Continue to chew away from the surgical sites. If you receive full-mouth dental implants or implants on both sides of your mouth, our periodontist will advise you on food choices that will support healing without disturbing your dental implants. During the third week and beyond, you can enjoy more of your favorite foods, including:
- Fish
- Healthy, non-crunchy snacks
- Seedless fruit
- Seedless vegetables
- Meat and other proteins
Regardless of the dental implant recovery phase, the International Journal of Oral and Dental Health recommends avoiding food types that can irritate the surgical sites, including:
- Acidic
- Crunchy
- Hard
- Salty
- Seedy
- Spicy
- Sticky
Consult with Chattanooga Periodontics for Dental Implants
Chattanooga Periodontics has served the Dalton, Georgia community for decades, providing a full range of dental implant services and reliable results. We invite you to visit our website for more information about dental implant placement. Also, you may schedule a consultation with Dr. Felts or Dr. Randall to discuss your concerns and options for replacing missing teeth with dental implants.
