I am not a doctor by any means but I have a lot of experience with teeth extractions including wisdom teeth extraction. Most of my extractions occurred during my tween/teen years because my baby teeth were very slow to come out and that caused crowding. To put it simply, crowding made for messed up teeth so I had braces put on in 7th grade – thanks parents! But, before they could do that, I had to lose all of my baby teeth and oral surgeons helped with several of those. Ouch. What I’m sharing with you now is everything I’ve learned based on my own experiences and also advice I received from doctors, oral surgeons and dentists.

If you have any specific questions or issues with your personal situation, contact your dentist or surgeon for the best advice! If your doctor has put you on a no-chew diet for any length of time, avoid chewable foods that may be in the list below.

Foods to Eat After Wisdom Teeth Extraction - via LiftingMakesMeHappy.com

Specific types of foods to eat after wisdom teeth extraction

Smoothies. (Amazing Grass – green smoothies, peanut butter, berry vanilla – fruit smoothies)
Applesauce.
Greek yogurt with honey. (I would avoid any flavored yogurt that isn’t blended VERY well)
Cauliflower mash or mashed potatoes.
Ice cream.
Simple soups. (Without tiny pieces that could get stuck in the extraction sites)
Baby food. I haven’t eaten this recently but I remember asking my mom to get me banana baby food when I was younger. That was easily one of my favorite soft foods to eat.
Cottage cheese.
Macaroni and cheese. (Well cooked)
Jell-O.
Pasta and sauce. (Well cooked)
Pudding.
Oatmeal.
Gatorade. Technically a beverage of course but Gatorade is a great option if you’d like some flavor but don’t feel like chewing or eating anything just yet.

Foods to avoid immediately after wisdom teeth extraction

These are foods I would wait several days before trying just to be sure the extraction sites are healing nicely. You don’t want to compromise the healing process because it can be extremely painful!

Any food that is hot (as in temperature)
Spicy foods
Foods with sharp edges (chips, crackers, cold cereals)
Meat
Any foods that are small and can get stuck in the extracted sites (rice, quinoa, couscous)
Sticky, chewy foods, candy
Anything that may dislodge the blood clot (which will likely cause “dry socket” and that ish hurts!)

What can I drink after tooth extraction?

The best thing to drink during the first 24 hours is water or tea. My dentist told me to avoid alcohol, soda and coffee and not to use a straw.

How long does the healing process take for teeth extractions?

I’ve had several teeth pulled in my lifetime and I can easily say that getting 3 wisdom teeth pulled (2 upper, 1 lower) at one time has been the roughest by far. I got my first wisdom tooth pulled (lower left side) several years ago because it was growing in weird and causing pain and the healing time for that one was between 1 and 2 weeks – closer to two. My most recent experience of getting the other three pulled has proven to be very painful as well although most of the pain seems to be coming from the lower extraction site.

A number of factors come into play when figuring out how long your healing process may take. This includes the angle your wisdom teeth have come in, how they’ve erupted, whether they’re infected or not, the difficulty of the removal process itself – twisted roots will be more complicated and can result in a longer healing time. If your oral surgeon needs to be break the tooth up into pieces prior to removal that could increase healing time. Generally I’ve found that the first 3-4 days are the worst and it gets better from there. If you can’t keep up with pain management with what your doctor has suggested or if you feel like the pain is getting worse over time, be sure to contact your surgeon right away!

Being cautious during the first few days after wisdom teeth extraction can promote faster healing and have you eating your favorite crunchy foods again soon!

Until then… be extra nice to your mouth. :)

xo Mindi