Can i eat chicken salad after wisdom teeth removal

Getting your wisdom teeth removed requires some recovery time. Your mouth will likely feel a little sore after the procedure—but you’ve still got to eat! Having lots of tasty foods stocked ahead of time can help you be prepared for staying nourished and healthy after your surgery. Soft foods are ideal as they’re easy on your mouth and require less chewing. What food options are available to you after wisdom tooth removal?

For Breakfast: Oatmeal, Yogurt, Eggs

Never start the day without breakfast! For this meal, you’ve got several options. You can enjoy warm oatmeal with apples, cinnamon, and honey to wake up your taste buds. You may also choose to eat yogurt with some soft fruit such as oranges or banana in it. If you’re more of a hearty breakfast person, fried, scrambled, or hard-boiled eggs back a protein punch! You can also opt for pancakes—just be sure they’re soft enough for you to chew.

For Lunch: Soft Breads, Soup, Smoothies

As lunchtime approaches, reach for things like soft breads or soup. A tuna fish sandwich or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich should be easy enough to chew, but do your best to avoid meats, as they can be difficult to chew with your stitches. An exception here would be chicken soup—the meat should be soft enough to eat with minimal chewing. Smoothies are also an excellent option and can pack vital nutrients for healing! Try spinach, banana, and frozen berries blended with milk or yogurt to soothe your sore mouth.

For Snack: Avocado, Banana, Applesauce

There are plenty of fruits to eat for a snack in the afternoon or really anytime throughout the day. Avocados are full of healthy fats and are soft and perfect for easy consumption. Ripened bananas are an easy to-go snack and are mushy enough to require almost no chewing at all! Applesauce can feel cool and soothing on your mouth and is easy to eat after you’ve gotten your wisdom teeth out.

For Dinner: Pasta, Fish, Mashed Potatoes

Pasta such as macaroni and cheese is perfect when well-cooked for your post wisdom teeth removal diet. You may also choose to eat fish, as it’s usually soft enough to eat. Be sure to stay away from any fresh fish that may still contain bones, as these can poke and injure your surgical site. Mashed potatoes are also a great choice. For more plant-based options, try beans, steamed spinach, and tofu with your dinner!

For Dessert: Ice Cream and Pudding

Don’t forget about dessert! These cool foods can help stop swelling in your mouth and be a treat for after your surgery. Grab your favorite ice cream at the store and put pudding in the fridge or freezer to cool before eating. Your mouth will thank you!

Getting your wisdom teeth removed can be uncomfortable, but the procedure is simple and your mouth will easily heal within a few days. By having these soft foods at home, you can ensure that you relax, heal, and have plenty of food choices so you don’t have to go hungry. Choose these soft foods after wisdom tooth removal!

Summary

Article Name

What Can I Eat After Wisdom Tooth Removal?

Description

You may feel a little sore after a wisdom tooth procedure—but you’ve still got to eat! Having lots of tasty foods stocked ahead of time can help you be prepared for staying nourished and healthy after your surgery.

Author

For most common oral surgeries — wisdom teeth removal, impacted teeth removal, or even an impacted root canal — you'll be able to slowly start reintroducing most crunchy, fibrous foods back into your routine around one week post operation. But for some complicated cases, such as those with multiple impacted teeth being removed at once, you could have to eat liquid or soft foods for up to 6 weeks.

Depending on your proceducure, recovery can be long and complicated. This is not a time to fret over one's diet. Avoid nutrition labels and calorie counts while you're healing and focus on nourishing your body the best you can with soft foods while it works to get healthy again.

Struggling to cook healthy? We'll help you prep.

Sign up for our new weekly newsletter, ThePrep, for inspiration and support for all your meal plan struggles.

Here's exactly what you can eat without irritating your gums, plus a few tips and tricks to avoid searing pain.

8 foods to eat after oral surgery

1. Fresh Smoothies

Try adding Greek yogurt into your smoothies, then tame its tang by mixing in naturally sweet additives like frozen fruit, bananas, or even cocoa powder. You probably won't be able to use a straw, so add plenty of milk, or even a bit of water, to ensure the consistency is really thin. Tilt your head back and enjoy!

2. Soups and Canned Broths

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel

You probably guessed that soup would be on this list, and you’re right. But not all soups are enjoyable after oral surgery. Chicken noodle soup sounds like a safe bet, but chunky add-ins aren't a good idea until you're able to slowly move your jaw without causing pain.

For the first few days post-op, use a strainer to separate any noodles, vegetables, and meat from your soup. You can add them back into your broth after you've chopped them up (or even blended them) in order to swallow without any trouble. Of course, you can also whip up broths and soups from scratch, which gives you the control to add in as many ingredients as you'd like.

3. Eggs

Credit: Adobe: Liz Clayman

Eggs are your friend — from sheet-pan baked eggs to quiche lorraine (minus the crust). But the easiest and most delicious meal after oral surgery is a plate of soft-scrambled eggs. You'll stir these eggs until they've barely firmed, add your choice of cheese, and transfer directly to a plate. They'll continue cooking while they cool down, and alongside half an avocado, it's a hearty meal that'll make you feel happy again (trust me).

4. Cheese

Credit: Adobe: delmonte1977

Cheese can also be a good source of probiotics, so if you're looking to snack on something, soft cheese is a great option. You should be able to swallow small pieces, and shredded cheese is a great addition to any meal you may be eating throughout your recovery. In a hurry, cottage cheese is also an excellent snack.

5. Oatmeal

Credit: Photo/Styling: Zoë Engongoro

If you can't stomach another serving of eggs, instant oatmeal can be a good option for breakfast. Don't make steel-cut oats — they’re too tough to swallow whole. Instead, try this basic oatmeal recipe and add in some soft fruit such as bananas or mashed blueberries.

6. Mashed Potatoes

You may be tempted to reach for a box of instant mashed potatoes as you recover, but you can make creamy, soft, and delicious mashed potatoes at home with as little as three ingredients and a hand blender (or Vitamix). Mixing in small additions to your mashed potatoes — like herbs or even minced bacon — is a safe option, as long as you take the time to finely dice them. There are at least 21 different ways to make silky-smooth mashed potatoes at home, which should keep you busy for a while.

7. Turkey Kielbasa

Credit: Adobe: Bert Folsom

We love chicken and other lean proteins, but you'll notice they're nowhere on this list. They're just too tough to eat while recovering from oral surgery — even if you're able to find shredded chicken.

If you're looking for meat that's safe enough to swallow whole, opt for turkey kielbasa (otherwise known as Polish sausage), which is versatile enough to keep things interesting while you recover. Whether you dice some up for pan frying or simply cube it and toss it into soups or broths, turkey kielbasa is a great way to feel like you're eating a substantial meal without risk of choking.

8. Pudding, Frosting, and Sheet Cakes

Credit: Photo: Alison Miksch

You'll be happy to hear that a whole bunch of dessert can be on the menu when you're recovering — pudding slides down your throat effortlessly, so you'll probably want to load up on a 12-pack of Jell-O. But I'm also happy to report that a frosted cake or cupcake can be managed with a spoon and some patience. Enjoy your treat with a glass of cold milk and everything will wash down easily.

6 foods to avoid after oral surgery

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

1. Roasted Vegetables

Anyway you slice it or dice it, roasted vegetables are not easy to chew and swallow when you've just had oral surgery. As someone who has recovered from a tooth extraction, I can confidently say that finely chopped roasted broccoli became lodged in one of my gums after I couldn't swallow it whole. I had to fish it out with a toothbrush, and you probably will, too. You might be disappointed to hear this, but the best way to enjoy vegetables after oral surgery is to puree them into a warm soup.

2. Most Meat

Unless you're eating a chopped up slice of meatloaf (pro tip: shepherd's pie is a good choice later in your recovery), you can forget having poultry, beef, pork, or fish at mealtime. I haven't found an easy way to eat meat (it’s hard when you can’t chew), but if you attempt it at home, my advice would be to cut your protein into tiny pieces. Even then, there's a chance that chicken can turn into a choking hazard.

3. Bread

Bread is something you simply can't have during the first few days of your recovery. Toast, muffins, bagels, and crusty bread are off the menu for now, as these can do some serious damage to your gums. If your jaw and gums are feeling stronger after the first five days, sweet Hawaiian rolls are a good place to start since they’re so soft.

4. Spicy Foods

Credit: MichelleLee3900/Getty Images

Salt and pepper are normally a home cook's best friend, but you'll want to avoid adding these in excess if you hate lingering stinging and burning in your mouth after mealtime. Ditto for spices like cayenne pepper or chile powder.

5. Crackers, Pretzels, Chips, Seeds, Nuts, etc.

If you eat any of these at snack time, there's a good chance you'll have to give them up for up to three weeks after your procedure. The sodium content will likely irritate sensitive gums, plus, there's a good chance crunchy snacks can get stuck in any healing holes (ouch!).

6. Pasta

The only noodles you’ll be able to eat are macaroni and cheese — a lifesaver, to be honest — and overcooked wide egg noodles that have been broken into manageable pieces. Penne, rigatoni, and most other popular varieties are too rigid to swallow easily.  

Can I eat chicken after wisdom teeth removal?

How long after wisdom teeth can I eat salad?

Can you eat egg salad after wisdom tooth removal?

Can I eat deli meat after wisdom teeth removal?