Introduction
Had a tooth extraction anytime recently? Well, for a smooth recovery, post operative care is very important. And for this to happen, there’s a very important factor, and that is opting to eat ideal foods for this situation. And these are soft foods! Yes, they are very kind on your gums that need to heal and also give the adequate nutrients, thereby aiding your recovery. Here in this blog, we have listed out the 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction. They will make sure that you have minimum irritation while you heal quickly.
What to eat after tooth extraction?
To recover smoothly after extracting the tooth, a few guidelines which are common are to be followed. One is to hydrate yourself with water and at the same time, to not use straw to consume liquids as there are chances of dislodging a blood clot. Your goal must be to eat from our list of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction which are filled with nutrition, and fulfill your daily macros and micros along with aiding you to recover fast. You can opt for soft foods other than the ones in this list too.
Food high in protein content is to be incorporated into your daily meals. It can be the likes of yogurt, mashed beans, protein powdered or nut milkshakes etc. Fatty foods are also very much required by the body. Oils in general, then almond butter, peanut butter etc or nuts and seeds mashed and added to smoothies, milkshakes etc serve the purpose.
To produce collagen which is a necessity for repairing tissues, vitamin C packed fruits like guava, strawberry and other berries, orange and other citrus fruits etc can be taken as a juice, smoothie or even a milkshake. It depends on the fruit and the method in which it’s normally consumed.
Hotter and colder foods are to be avoided so that it prevents irritating the vulnerable site. This makes way for consuming lukewarm or room temperature foods.
Soft Foods to Eat After Tooth Extraction – Benefits
Consumption of food that is softer, following the extracting of your tooth will be beneficial for you to recover fast. They come with many pros, one amongst them is to heal you fast and the other one is to reduce irritation to a minimum.
- Easily chewing your food
At the spot where your tooth has been extracted, soft foods are gentler than others, which helps you in chewing and swallowing them easily. This doesn’t allow your mouth to be strained much, and thereby reduces any further risks.
- Complications are minimized
When you choose soft foods to eat, you greatly reduce the chance to dislodge or damage the blood clot which would’ve formed at the spot where your tooth is extracted. The clot is crucial in order to heal as well as protect the bone and nerve endings that underlie this area. So any irritation here is avoided by consuming soft foods, and aids to prevent a condition known as dry socket.
In addition to it, there are few soft foods that help to reduce the inflammatory effects. As a result, it prevents infections which are seen quite a few times after tooth extraction.
- Optimal nutrition
Once your tooth is extracted, you may not be comfortable eating food, in order to avoid discomfort. But intake of all the necessary nutrients is of great importance for supporting your body to heal fast, as well as primarily keeping you well nourished. Here, these soft foods will be providing the necessary nutrition, consisting of macronutrients and micronutrients.
List of 50 Soft Foods to eat after tooth extraction
Here, we have curated and listed out 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction which along with being gentler on your site of extraction than other foods, pack the necessary nutrition and are crucial for you to recover.
Another thing to note is that you need to have a word with your dentist regarding your diet, if you need any specific food to be added or eliminated from the diet.
Soups and Broths
- Chicken noodle soup
- Tomato soup
- Butternut squash soup
- Vegetable broth
- Miso soup
Purees and Mashed Foods
- Mashed potatoes
- Applesauce
- Banana puree
- Avocado puree
- Pumpkin puree
- Carrot puree
Yogurts and Smoothies
- Greek yogurt
- Strawberry smoothie
- Mixed berry yogurt
- Vanilla protein shake
- Mango lassi
- Cherry almond smoothie
Soft Grains and Pulses
- Oatmeal
- Quinoa
- Soft-cooked rice
- Lentil soup
- Mashed chickpea hummus
- Soft bread soaked in milk or soup
Eggs
- Scrambled eggs
- Poached eggs
- Soft-boiled eggs
- Egg salad
- Frittata
Soft Fish and Seafood
- Tilapia
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Tuna salad
- Crab cakes
Dairy Products
- Cottage cheese
- Yogurt popsicles
- Ricotta cheese
- Soft cheeses (brie, camembert)
- Fruit Milkshakes
- Nut milkshakes
Vegetables
- Steamed carrots
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Peas
- Steamed broccoli
- Spinach
Fruits
- Watermelon
- Applesauce
- Bananas
- Mango
- Cantaloupe
- Grapes
Food that requires crunching, or that which sticks or even that’s very chewy must be avoided. You’ll be able to recover in a fast and smooth way by choosing from our list of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction, or by incorporating soft foods in general that have a similar consistency.
Smoothies and Shakes
Fruit Smoothies
On our blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction, smoothies and milkshakes take a prominent place. They’re a delicious and nutrient rich food, also providing natural sugar. A single fruit smoothie or milkshake can be made or you can even go for a fruit mix. Mango, banana, strawberry, avocado etc are great solo options.
You can make it almond milk based or even add coconut water for a hydrating smoothie. Even hard or semi hard fruits like guava, apple can be pureed and easily consumed. Protein powder is another option that you can add to these smoothies or fruit milkshakes and amplify the nutrition even further.
Protein Shakes
Next up on our blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction, protein shakes are the ones to be explained. Well, if you want a protein boost quickly and easily after your tooth has been extracted and during your recovery phase? Then, protein shakes are an ideal drink, they’re a protein powerhouse for sure, but also contain various vitamins and minerals. There are a few options in making it. One is by using whey, and the other option is by using plant based protein like soy or pea protein etc. You can just make it at home easily. Even here, adding nuts will ensure your daily fats requirement is fulfilled.
If you’re finding it cumbersome to make protein powder at home, then there’s also an option of buying a good quality one at stores. Anyways, you can easily consume it with minimal discomfort.
Green Smoothies
The 3rd food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is a green smoothie. A great option to bag more nutrition after extracting your tooth are green smoothies. By blending green veggies like cucumber, kale, spinach etc with fruits like pineapples or apples, a micronutrient rich smoothie is obtained. Sprinkle chia or flax seeds before blending so that you make the drink more fibrous and also enrich it with their omega 3 content.
Soups and Broths
Chicken Noodle Soup
The 4th food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is chicken noodle soup. To get a protein, vitamin b12 and also other nutrient boost, this is a wonderful choice, the chicken noodle soup. Noodles that are soft, chicken that is tender, and a broth which is tasty make sure that you eat it with minimal/almost no discomfort. By adding veggies like carrots or celery etc, the soup can be customized.
Tomato Soup
The 5th food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is tomato soup. For a smooth recovery after extracting your teeth, a wonderful option is tomato soup. This tomato soup can be easily consumed due to its smoothness, not to forget that it’s so flavorful, and comes with a tanginess. For enhancing the flavor by not causing changes in its smooth texture, garnishing it with Basil or parsley can be done.
Miso Soup
The 6th food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is a Miso soup. Miso soup originating in Japan, is a tasty soup that provides nutrition. It’s also got probiotics supporting the health of your gut when you’re recovering. Your meals get an additional deep taste from it, which is due to the umami taste that it has. And the reason for it is in its preparation, that is by fermenting the paste of soybean. To make it much more textured and enhance its nutritive value, seaweed as well as tofu cubes can be incorporated.
Tips and Ideas to prepare food
Tips to make a chicken noodle soup that’s comforting
For preparing a nutritious chicken noodle soup, simmer the chicken broth with diced carrots, celery, and onion till the veggies become soft. You can shred the chicken breasts after cooking it separately, and combine here in this soup to make it rich in protein.
Seasonings like salt and pepper are to be added to it. So is the addition of herbs such as thyme, parsley etc. If you think it’s difficult to consume this and it needs to be chewed a bit, then you can blend the whole mix till it becomes smooth in texture.
Creativity in flavoring oatmeal
The 7th food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is a flavored oatmeal. After your tooth extraction, another choice that brings versatility to your diet and also opens the room for customization is Oatmeal. You can blend well ripened bananas or applesauce with it. The oatmeal will become a lot different in taste (in a good way), along with being smooth in consistency.
To bring more variation in taste and also to enhance it, nutmeg or cinnamon can be sprinkled over it.
You may also chop nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc and add to the mix. Seeds like chia seeds, flax seeds etc can also be incorporated. Checkout if these are too crunchy affecting the extracted site or they just don’t make a difference as they are nicely blended.
Foods that are not so common after a tooth extraction
Chia Seed Pudding
The 8th food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is a chia seed pudding. A food that’s hiding a bit and uncommon in a diet that’s ideal after extracting the tooth is chia seed pudding. Chia seeds are tiny yet provide plentiful nutrients. Omega 3 fats, antioxidants, fiber, other vitamins and minerals are all offered by chia seeds.
You can start making this pudding by mixing chia seeds with any of the liquids you like. Almond milk and coconut milk are any day favorites as liquids here. Just refrigerate the chia seed and liquid mix for the whole night, so that it achieves a thickness and texture as that of a pudding. Further customizations can be done by adding softer fruits to it. Vanilla extract, honey etc are other options for you to experiment in this chia seed pudding.
Pureed Butternut Squash
The 9th food that’s explained on this blog of 50 soft foods to eat after tooth extraction is pureed butternut squash. A comforting and nutritional dish to eat after extracting your tooth is Pureed butternut squash. It’s got good amounts of vitamin A and vitamin C, plus potassium, fiber etc. For making this dish, take butternut squash and roast or steam the squash till it’s soft.
After that you’ll be blending it into a puree that’ll have a consistency like that of a cream, and you may use a mixer for this. Seasonings such as cinnamon, nutmeg etc can be added so that it gives a warm feel and a deep taste.
The 2 dishes mentioned above are not conventional and provide something different than the regular softer foods. They showcase the versatile nature of these 2 ingredients, which are chia seeds as well as butternut squash in creating delectable and nutritious dishes. So, you don’t need to think twice before experimenting using chia seeds or butternut squash, and thereby there’ll be a variation in the foods being consumed in your recovery journey.