What To Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal: Foods To Eat And Avoid

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HealthlineSubscribeWhat to Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Medically reviewed by Christine Frank, DDS — Written by Ana Gotter — Updated on February 14, 2023

Foods to eat
Foods to avoid
Recovery timeline
Complications
Takeaway

Eating soft and liquid foods helps wisdom tooth extraction sites heal. Other foods may cause irritation or get trapped in the area, leading to infection. Follow your doctor’s orders on eating after your surgery.

Wisdom teeth are a third set of molars located in the back of your mouth. They typically come in when you’re between 17 and 25 years of age. It’s common to have your wisdom teeth removed. They may need to be removed because they’re impacted and won’t come in normally. Or they may need to be removed because they’re coming in at a wrong angle.

During the removal procedure, you’ll be given anesthesia. Many surgeons will use some form of local, sedation, or general anesthesia. If your teeth haven’t come in yet, your surgeon will likely make incisions to remove them. They may need to remove bone if it’s blocking access to the tooth’s root. Once the teeth are removed, they’ll clean the site and add stitches to close the incision site if necessary. They’ll also place gauze over the extraction site.

What you eat following your wisdom teeth removal is important. Read on to learn more about what you should and shouldn’t eat after surgery.

What to eat after wisdom teeth removal

Immediately following your wisdom teeth removal and during recovery, you’ll want to start with liquid and soft foods. You won’t have to chew these foods, saving you some pain. Avoid eating harder foods at this time, as these might damage, or get trapped in, the recovering area.

Examples of liquid and soft foods include:

apple sauce
yogurt
smoothies
broths and blended soups
mashed potatoes
Jell-O, pudding, and ice cream

Cold foods like Jell-O, smoothies, and ice cream may relieve some discomfort. Nutrient-rich soups and smoothies can help promote healing. Soups in particular can help balance out the other high-sugar options on the list.

As you start to heal, you can incorporate more normal foods. Start off easy with semisoft foods like scrambled eggs, instant oatmeal, and toast before moving to foods like chicken, fruits, and vegetables.

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What not to eat after wisdom teeth removal

There are some foods that you should avoid following your wisdom teeth removal. Stick to the foods listed above for the first few days. Avoid the following foods for a week or more until the extraction site has healed.

Acidic and spicy foods (including citrus juice) may cause irritation and pain.
Alcoholic beverages can irritate the area and are likely to interact negatively with the pain medication prescribed by your doctor.
Grains (including rice and quinoa) and any types of seeds can easily become trapped in the extraction site.
Hard or difficult-to-chew foods (including nuts, chips, and jerky) can reopen the stitches and delay healing.

You should also avoid smoking or using any type of tobacco for a minimum of 72 hours after surgery as it can severely increase the risk of complications. Don’t use chewing tobacco for at least a week.

Recovery timeline

For the first 24 to 48 hours, eat only liquid and soft foods like yogurt, apple sauce, and ice cream. Cold foods may help with some of the discomfort.

As you start to feel better, you can try incorporating more solid foods. On the third day after surgery, try foods like eggs, toast, or oatmeal. Gradually continue to increase solid foods as chewing doesn’t cause any pain. If you experience pain when chewing, go back to soft and semisoft foods.

Many people are able to resume normal eating within a week.

Wisdom teeth removal complications

Wisdom teeth removal complications aren’t common, but can occur. The most common complication is reopening of the extraction site, which delays healing.

Dry sockets

Dry sockets are also common. They occur when the blood fails to clot in the tooth socket, or if the clot becomes dislodged. This typically happens between three and five days after tooth removal. Dry sockets can be treated by your surgeon. They will flush out debris and may cover the socket with medicated dressing. Symptoms of dry sockets include:

an unpleasant taste or smell coming from the socket
aching or throbbing pain in the gum or jaw (it may be intense)
exposed bone

Infections

Infections can be caused by food particles or other bacteria becoming trapped in the socket where your wisdom teeth were removed. Bacteria can spread throughout the body and should be treated quickly. Symptoms of an infection include:

blood or pus from the extraction site
fever
spasms of the jaw muscles
chills
painful or swollen gums near the extraction area
bad taste or smell in the mouth

Nerve damage

Nerve damage from wisdom teeth removal is rare, but it can occur. During surgery, the trigeminal nerve may be injured. The injury is most often temporary, lasting several weeks or months. Nerve damage can be permanent if the injury is severe. Symptoms of nerve damage caused by wisdom tooth removal include:

pain
numbness or tingling in the gums, tongue, chin, surrounding teeth, and lower lips

Allergic reaction

If you show signs of an allergic reaction, seek emergency medical attention. You may be allergic to the medications your doctor prescribed, including your pain medication. Signs of an allergic reaction include:

shortness of breath
difficulty breathing
feeling like your throat is closing or your tongue is swelling
lightheadedness
rapid heartrate
skin rash
fever

Takeaway

Most people heal quickly from wisdom teeth removal, as long as they follow the doctor’s instructions during recovery. Eating and drinking the right foods — and avoiding the wrong ones — is a crucial part of these instructions. You’ll be much more comfortable, and you’ll significantly decrease the chance of complications.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015). Wisdom toothextraction.https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/wisdom-tooth-extraction/basics/what-you-can-expect/prc-20020652
Wisdom tooth removal. (2015).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/wisdom-tooth-removal/what-happens/

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Medically reviewed by Christine Frank, DDS — Written by Ana Gotter — Updated on February 14, 2023

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