Dr Chirag Desai

Foods to Avoid After Dental Implants 

Authored article by Dr Chirag Desai, Head of department Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery Surgery at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central

While dental implants are resourceful and a long-term solution for you to eat, speak, and smile naturally, they also come with a lot of restrictions. However, these restrictions last only for the first few months. Proper post-operative care is essential for dental implants. As a general rule, always stick to liquid, soft diet for the initial period and then move on to semi-solid foods. While nutrition is definitely critical, your mouth needs time to heal and that can happen only when you do not chew a lot.

Your diet plays an important role in maintaining the health of the new implants and in their prognosis. It is very essential that you include nutrient-dense soft foods in your diet to gain maximum nutrition from your daily diet.

What can you eat after a dental implant surgery?

You are not allowed to eat anything for about 1-2 hours post-surgery. For the next 24-48 hours, it is recommended that you eat soft, liquid diet which does not require you to chew on too much. Stick to a liquid diet that is nutrient-dense and satiates your appetite.

Soft food diet after dental implants

• Soft fruits like mangoes, bananas, oranges, peaches
• Soft pasta that is tender and easy to chew like macaroni
• Steamed veggies
• Mashed veggies like pesto, hummus, mashed potatoes
• Creamy thick soups which are full of essential nutrients
• Protein-rich foods like egg, soft seafood, paneer
• Vitamin C rich foods to promote wound healing like oranges, sweet limes, lemonade
• Mashed rice, oats, soft breads
• Milk and milkshakes
• Fruit juices
• Yogurt

What foods to avoid after a dental implant surgery?

Here is a guideline for what you must avoid after you have got your dental implants.

• Avoid hot foods and hot liquids for several hours or maybe days after surgery. This is essential for your healing.
• Avoid using a straw to drink any liquid. Do not use water bottles which require you to suck on them to drink. This can cause undue pressure on your teeth.
• Avoid alcohol as it can interfere with your ongoing medications and also cause irritation around the implants.
• Avoid stringy, tough, chewy, sticky foods like chocolate, candy, chikki, pizza
• Avoid hard nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashew nuts
• Avoid tea or coffee as they tend to stain your natural teeth as well as the prosthesis
• Avoid aerated drinks as they tend to harm the teeth
• Avoid starchy foods like corn chips, potato chips, pretzels; basically, anything that can stick to your teeth
• Avoid seeds or foods that tend to crumble easily and then get stuck in the teeth or the implant thus delaying healing
• Avoid corn on the cob, granola, crusty breads which require you to chew on
• Avoid hard candy and gum
• Avoid hard taco shells, carrots
• Avoid ice cubes
• Avoid smoking

Key points to remember after a dental implant surgery

• Do not rinse your mouth for at least 48 hours post-surgery
• Resume regular brushing after your dental implant surgery but do not touch the surgical site. Start brushing a day after the surgery and avoid going near the implant or bone graft area.
• Maintain excellent oral hygiene by brushing twice daily.
• Use a mouthwash and a floss that has been recommended by your dentist.
• Rinse your mouth after you eat anything.
• Visit your dentist every 6 months for a routine complete checkup.

Tips to indulge into your favourite foods after a dental implant surgery

We understand that it is absolutely difficult and heart wrenching to totally give up on your favourite foods. Worry not, we have a solution just for you.

Try these tips and tricks to make the most of your favourite foods each time you eat them without having to worry about your dental implants.

• Make small bite sized pieces of the food you wish to eat and then chew on each piece slowly. E.g., Break the samosa into small pieces and bite into each piece separately.
• If it’s a fruit, grate it or mash it or juice it up. E.g., Cut an apple into slices or grate it as a topping for your dessert.
• Hard nuts can be either soaked or boiled. E.g., eat soak almonds or boiled groundnuts to soothe your nut cravings.

The main idea is to maintain good oral hygiene and focus on eating a healthy, nutritious, wholesome meal. In the long haul, you will have a good set of teeth and dental implants if you follow these instructions carefully and include them in your daily routine. This will help improve your oral health as well as your general health.