Most people have wisdom teeth that come in between ages 17 and 25; however, the wisdom teeth may not fully erupt from the gums and become impacted, infected, crowed or surrounded by a cyst, all of which may require a wisdom tooth extraction, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Following a wisdom tooth extraction, a special diet is needed to ensure proper healing.
Purpose
When you have a wisdom tooth extracted, the area may be very sore and is likely to bleed for up to 10 hours following the extraction. A blood clot needs to form over the extraction site so the area can heal properly. Dissolvable stitches or sutures are usually used to reposition the gum over the surgical site. Your diet after a wisdom tooth extraction has to allow the blood clot to form and remain until the area is healed. You also have to avoid dislodging the stitches.
Time Frame
During the first 14 hours after your wisdom tooth extraction, you likely won't be able to eat anything, as your mouth may still be numb from the anesthesia. If you choose to eat during this phase, don't eat or drink anything hot or spicy. As the numbness subsides, you can follow a soft food or modified liquid diet, which you will likely need for the first two days following your surgery. This diet includes foods like pudding and soup. After the first two days, you can slowly start to add solid foods to your diet. Complete healing usually takes three to four weeks. After this time, you can resume your normal eating habits.
Considerations
As you introduce solid foods into your diet, you must avoid foods that can get stuck in the wisdom tooth socket. Some of these foods include popcorn, nuts or chips. Until the area is healed, you mustn't use a straw to drink any liquids, as this may dislodge the blood clot that must form to help the socket heal properly. You must also avoid drinking alcohol during the healing period, as this may thin the blood and prolong bleeding. Alcohol also reacts with pain relievers and other drugs.
Warning
After the first two days, pain in the area of the extracted tooth usually becomes less noticeable. If pain near the wisdom tooth socket begins to get worse, you may have inadvertently dislodged the blood clot in the socket while you were eating. Once the blood clot is dislodged, you may develop a condition known as dry socket, which is extremely painful and increases your chance of developing an infection in the area. If this occurs, you must resume the liquid or soft food food diet you followed after surgery and contact your oral surgeon or dentist immediately for treatment.
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