One of the best aspects of All-on-4 dental implant treatment is that it gives you a beautiful new set of teeth on the very same day as your implant surgery. However, that does not mean you will be able to eat a normal diet right away. Your mouth will need some time to recover. In this blog post, you will find some practical guidance for eating and drinking after All-on-4 surgery.
How Will Your Mouth Feel after All-on-4 Surgery?
During your surgery, your care team will carefully insert four artificial tooth roots (dental implants) into your jawbone. As you might imagine, this procedure can lead to some soreness and swelling. Any pain you experience should be very manageable with medications, and most people are feeling almost normal within a few days to a week. It is important that you follow post-op instructions from your oral surgery team during this critical period and throughout the rest of your recovery process.
Which Foods Should You Avoid?
While you are still healing from surgery, you should avoid certain foods, including hard, crunchy, and sticky items. These types of foods may increase your discomfort and even heighten your risk of post-op complications.
It is also important that you avoid alcohol, especially if you are using any pain medications that might lead to dangerous interactions. Alcohol could also slow down your body’s overall healing process.
What to Eat Immediately After Surgery
You will experience the most tenderness and soreness during the first couple of weeks after your surgery. It would be best to adhere to a no-chew diet during this time. Here are some acceptable food choices:
- Broth
- Coffee and tea (after the first 72 hours of your recovery)
- Smoothies and protein shakes
- Ice cream (without hard add-ins like candies and cookies)
- Yogurt
- Pudding
- Mashed vegetables
- Oatmeal
After the First Few Weeks
When your mouth starts to feel better, you can progress to a fork-tender diet. In other words, you can eat anything that is easy to cut with the side of a fork. Here are some examples:
- Scrambled eggs
- Soft bread
- Meatloaf
- Soft tofu
- Soft fruits
- Lentils and beans
- Ground meat
Resuming a Normal Diet
After your dental implants bond with your jawbone and you receive your permanent new implant denture, it should become easy for you to eat almost anything, including tough and hard foods. Usually, this happens 3 – 6 months after the initial surgery.
All-on-4 surgery comes with some temporary dietary restrictions, but any inconveniences you experience along the way will be well worth it when your strong new smile is in place!
Meet the Practice
The three oral surgeons at Piney Point Dental Implant Center have several decades of combined experience and are pleased to offer All-on-4 dental implants as one of their services. If you have questions about All-on-4 surgery or what to expect afterward, they and our team would be happy to speak with you. Contact our office at 713-597-7340.