Dental implants in Colorado Springs are a convenient, flexible, and high-quality tooth restoration that can transform your smile and prevent bone loss. Best of all, they enable you to eat a restriction-free diet and they can last for a lifetime with proper care.
However, to enjoy the long-term benefits of implants, you will first need to get through the restrictions of the recovery process. Read on in this blog from our Colorado Springs dentist at Alliance Family Dentistry to find out what you can eat while you recover from implant surgery.
The placement of dental implants requires performing oral surgery and any time you are recovering from a surgical procedure, you will experience soreness, tenderness, and swelling. To help the implant site heal, you should avoid eating on that side of your mouth. Immediately after implant surgery, you will have a lot of restrictions.
You should not consume alcohol, hot liquids, or drink out of a straw for the first 24 hours. You should stay away from foods that are acidic, spicy, crunchy, sticky, or hot for the first few days.
While you will need to sacrifice some staples of your normal diet for a few weeks, you should make sure that you are carefully monitoring your nutrient intake. Just because you need to limit the amount of chewy and hard foods that you consume doesn’t mean that you can’t eat enough.
Drink lots of water throughout the day which will keep you hydrated. During the first week, you will need to exclusively eat soft foods. For the first few days, the less chewing involved, the better, so mostly liquid meals are ideal.
Try broths, protein shakes, applesauce, pudding, soup (not too hot), and other liquid meal replacers. Remember not to drink out of a straw and avoid all forms of suction. After the first few days, you can eat soft foods that involve minimal chewing such as pasta, eggs, beans, oatmeal, tofu, and fish.
After about 2 weeks, you can start to introduce tougher foods that involve more chewing depending on the speed of your recovery. These include tougher meats and raw vegetables. Try to make sure you’re getting in enough calories and protein during your recovery. Your body needs nutrients to aid in the healing process.
During your initial recovery, you should also avoid strenuous activity. Wait at least 72 hours before exercising, as this can dislodge blood clots and you should rest after surgery. You will also be dealing with a restrictive diet so you shouldn’t be engaging in too much activity.
You should not smoke during implant recovery, as this increases inflammation, delays the healing process, and increases your risk of oral health problems. You also need to avoid all forms of suction during the first 24 hours, which includes the suction of smoking a cigarette.
When it comes to oral hygiene, you will need to wait 24 hours before you can rinse your mouth with a saltwater solution a few times a day. After this first 24 hours, you can return to brushing and flossing like normal as long as you are careful to avoid the implant site. Do not spit during the first 24 hours.
Have any questions about implant surgery, recovery, or wondering if implants are right for you? Contact us at Alliance Family Dentistry today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Robert Colt.
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