What to Eat After Dental Implant Surgery

While your gums may be a bit tender and swollen after the procedure,  discover what to eat after dental implant surgery.

Dental implants are a great way to change your life, including how you smile, talk, and eat. However, they can often prove a significant investment, even for those with insurance. You may end up paying as much as $5,000 per tooth. 

As such, it's important to take care of your dental implant. This is especially true after surgery when your mouth is at its most vulnerable. The same goes for any kind of dental procedure, such as root canals. 



Here's what to eat after dental implant surgery and what you should avoid. 

Before you pursue dental implants, you should know what goes into the actual procedure and how it can impact your mouth in the following weeks. 

A dental implant is one of the many ways you can replace missing teeth. Something like a bridge helps to bridge gaps in your bite, but it requires neighboring teeth to anchor onto. Bridges are also not permanent and will need to be replaced at some point. 

In contrast, implants function much like the rest of your teeth. They're surgically placed into your jawbone with metal posts. The bone tissue heals tightly around the implant and keeps it from moving. 

Endosteal implants are placed into the jawbone, while subperiosteal implants are placed under the gum line. The latter is used when there isn't enough natural jawbone tissue to build into. 

There are a couple of considerations with dental implant surgery, though. 

First, there needs to be enough healthy bone tissue if you want a secure implant. This may require a dental bone graft that will need to happen before the implantation procedure.



Additionally, it could take months for a dental implant to completely heal. During this time, you'll need to adjust your diet and lifestyle to achieve the best results. 

A dental bone graft adds volume and density to the jawbone. Your jaw naturally loses mass over time if there are areas missing teeth. You may need a bone graft if it's been some time since you've had a tooth extracted and you want an implant. 

Without sufficient bone structures, there won't be enough material to install the implants. In particular, people with osteoporosis will need bone grafts before implantation. 

During the procedure, your gum tissue will be repositioned so that the bone grafting material can be added. When complete, the area is closed with stitches and may cause swelling and bruising in the following days. 

A complete recovery afterward may take anywhere from three to nine months. What this means is that anyone wanting dental implants will need to wait at least a few months before they can get one. 



As for what to eat after a dental bone graft, you'll want to stick to soft foods and cooler liquids for a couple of days. After that, you can return to a normal diet but will need to avoid chewing on the surgical site as long as you can. 

Your diet after dental implant surgery is much more important, as your implant will come into contact with your food frequently. It's hard to avoid, but it's necessary to stick to certain foods when eating after dental implants have been placed.

Immediately After

The first few days after your procedure are some of the most crucial. Eating the wrong foods during this time can cause a major setback and ruin the results of your dental implant surgery. 

As such, your best option is to adopt an all-liquid diet for up to a week after your appointment. 

Some foods you should try include:

• Smooth soups
• Broths and bouillon
• Meal replacement shakes
• Fruit smoothies
• Juice blends

Avoid anything chunky or chewy. That also means you shouldn't eat anything like pudding or yogurt that will stick to your teeth and possibly get stuck in your stitches. 

Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid straws. Any kind of sucking action can cause your sutures to come loose and potentially dislodge a blood clot. 

Weeks In

After a couple of weeks, you can upgrade your diet to softer items. Some soft foods to eat after dental implants include cooked cereals, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and soft-cooked meats. 

Soft fruits are another good option to improve your health and avoid complications with your implant. More crisp fruit should be blended into smoothies if you want to ingest them. 

After a Full Recovery

A full recovery after the surgery could take around six months. That means you'll need to stick to softer foods until your dentist gives you the go-ahead. 

Even when they say you can start eating normal food again, you have to be careful. The area under the tooth may still be tender. Eating things like nuts and chewy food items could cause pain and strain in your jaw. 



Pay attention to your mouth and how it feels. If something feels off, make sure to let your dentist know. 

In general, the foods you should avoid moving forward are some of the same items that are dangerous to your natural teeth. 

Limit your consumption of dark beverages like coffee, tea, and red wine. These can all easily stain your implants and lead to discoloration. 

While you're recovering, stay away from sticky items like gum or taffy. They can loosen the implant and cause infections. 



Acidic foods and drinks can negatively affect your immune system and also lead to infections. Avoid these until the incision site has completely closed up. 

Let Your New Teeth Shine