Advice: Wisdom Tooth Extraction, what to eat?

[Veggietales]

I will be having oral surgery to extract my wisdom tooth in about 4 hours. Of course, I was instructed not to eat anything 8 hours prior to surgery, so I'm already starving! I'm planning ahead and reaching out to the Hounds... what does one eat post surgery? I'm looking for suggestions past jello and clear broth soups. Let me know if that is what I'm only limited to; I'd be really sad.

[Amuse Bouches]

At first you'll want pretty liquid things, but then you can move on to things that require minimal chewing. I found when I had my wisdom teeth out that I got tired of sweets pretty fast - jello, milk shakes, etc. I liked hummus --- I could either eat it plain or sort of gum the pita bread, scrambled eggs, noodle soup (pho without the meat), and eventually things like mac and cheese. I had a rough recovery though -- the codeine and the pain made me vomit, and I think I got dry socket -- I was in bed for nearly a week and not back to normal (full jaw movement) for 2 or 3 weeks. Other people are fine the next day.

[jme1beachbum]

i feel your pain- I was in college for nursing school so I had to get mine out during Christmas break- I ate lots of mashed potatoes and macn cheese, then someone made chocolate pudding for me (from scratch too!), then I took Percocet, then I threw up. Still nervous around chocolate pudding! All foods taste awful going the wrong way- its inevitable!

[masterchief]

My dentist also recommended that I NOT drink carbonated drinks and that is just hard for me cause I LOVE diet pepsi and i am not supposed to have it for a week!

[Smileelisa]

I feel for you master, I haven't been allowed to have coke or pepsi or dr pepper in over 3 years and I LOVE coke.

When I had my wisdom teeth out I had a rough time of it for 2 weeks. they did 2 teeth at a time 1 on the left and on the right so when I would try and chew my swollen gums would stick together. I pretty much lived a liquid diet which included soup I could drink and of course lots of beer. One night out with the girls they were serving pizza at the bar and I just had to have some I was so starved. so I only ate the cheese in little bites that I didn't have to chew. I also ate alot of ice cream.

Good luck and speedy recovery!

[TampaAurora]

I second the pho...I lived on it for the first two days after surgery. Be careful to not drink anything if you are "sucking" like from a squeeze bottle or a straw...it can cause dry socket.

[Addisonchef]

Oh, poor you! Think soft, comfort food: mashed potatoes, pudding, soft cereals, polenta, soft boiled eggs, milk shakes. Basically anything that is soft for your mouth. I'm sure they'll give you a list of "approved" foods, and you'll probably be eating these for a week or so. And even after that time, you'll have to be careful. I made the mistake of eating chips and salsa a few weeks after--oy!

Good luck!

[viperlush]

I hope everything goes well with your surgery, went through the same a few years back and it was no fun (but after reading the other posts maybe I had it easy).

I'm sure the dentist will tell you to avoid "sucking actions", but I found that I was able to drink shakes and smoothies without straws. Because I was having problems chewing, that day I drank alot of Ensure and Boost. Later I was able to eat mashed potatoes and yogurt.

The next day I was basically eating everything (french fries, pizza, etc.). I found that taking small bites and chewing towards the front of the mouth worked out well.

I would suggest avoiding anything withseeds because of the risk of getting them caught in the stitchs/holes. But other then that eat what ever you are comfortable with.

Good luck

[septocaine_queen]

They will give you post op instructions. Usually soft foods. Nothing hot. Cold or luke warm is ideal. Ice cream, frozen yogurt are best. You'll be fine

[chowser]

Is it just one? My son had one removed yesterday and the surgeon told him he could eat anything but hard food, and to chew on the other side. He had scrambled eggs and yogurt when he got home, then pizza and pasta at night, no problems. If you're having teeth removed from both sides, then there are more restrictions.

[LindaWhit]

Keep it soft, and as viperlush said, nothing small and solid enough to get caught in the pockets....so that means NO rice to start. Believe me, you do NOT want to get dry socket!

Start with yogurt, applesauce, plain ice cream, pudding, mashed potatoes (this is where you add lots of butter and sour cream for extra rich flavor!), fruit smoothies, milkshakes, ice cream, tepid broth, jello, cooked noodles, scrambled eggs....and oh, did I mention ICE CREAM! <g>

[choctastic]

I'm glad someone mentioned rice. NO RICE. the damn things get stuck in the hole and don't come out without the aid of some pointed instrument which inevitably hits the raw edge. I unfortunately speak from experience, painful experience but it was my fault since i didn't listen.

[Caroline1]

Sheesh! No stitches? I've had all four wisdom teeth removed by four different dentists, and they ALL sewed me up!

I remember the most wonderful soft boiled eggs with butter, salt and pepper, and gently toasted gummy white bread after my first wisdom tooth was pulled. It was good but didn't quite measure up the next three times. Softly scrambled eggs are good too. A baked potato with lots of butter, sour cream, cheese and chives. Forget about the bacon. Rice pudding. Lots of good stuff...!

If the dentist did NOT sew up your gums, forget about all of the above and stick to liquids and keep your tongue away from the hole. You do NOT want to dislodge the clot and end up with a dry socket!

Good luck with it all. Forty years from now you'll hardly remember any of it. '-)

[bluesman13]

speaking from experience myself, I had all four impacted wisdom teeth extracted 20 years or so years ago. My girlfriend (now my wife) made me chocolate pudding and served it to me warm in a big bowl, then made chicken soup. I'm not sure whether it was the after effects of the sedative or the pain medication, but I just about licked out the bowl. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. The recipe she used was the one on the side of the cornstarch box.

Good luck and have a quick and painless recovery...

p.s. I forgot to add that less than a week later, I ate a Chinese Chicken Salad, and a few sesame seeds got into the incision and the whole thing got infected. So, try not to eat things like small nuts or seeds intil your incision heals...

[GenieinTX]

Similar experience - My mom made me Malt o Meal right after mine, and it was the most delishious MoM I had ever had. I don't know why, but it was so good and has never been that good since.

I got tired of starches and carbs pretty fast after my surgery and needed some protein I didn't have to chew. I recommend canned Vienna Sausages. They don't taste very good, but you can mush them up with a fork and eat them with no chewing.

[foodseek]

I am sure your doctor will give instructions. I had gum surgery last week and found it was more trial and error past the first day what felt good to eat and not irritating-lots of custard style yogurt without seeded fruits, mashed potatoes, and nothing too spicy. After eating I would do a warm salt water gargle to clean out the mouth or doctor may give you an antibacterial rinse to use. Good luck to you

[cheryl_h]

Make a big pot of jook with whatever good flavors you like. Take out any chewy, lumpy bits (meat, fish, chunks of vegetables that haven't softened) and just eat the rice gruel. It's very comforting and easy to digest. It's the standard food for any sick Chinese child.

[amopdx]

last time I had oral surgery I ate
milkshakes and fries
ice cream
thai soup with tofu, (picked around some of the large veggies but the broth and tofu were great)
scrambled eggs with cheese
Odwalla smoothies

[DemChick]

I know Chows will cringe, but all I wanted was a Wendy's Frosty after my wisdom teeth were yanked. The cold helped the pain.

[1 wiener hound]

That was the adivce of the dentist that I went to and it really helped. The cold Frosty helps with the swelling and then make some homemade Potato Soup that is high is salt content.

[jme1beachbum]

No cringe here- frostys are delicious- plus you can turn it upside down and nothing comes out!

[Roux]

I drank a lot of pineapple juice; it helps your mouth heal.

[cooknKate]

I'm glad someone mentioned this, as it has been a proven relief for any and all oral surgeries. It contains bromelain which has a natural numbing affect, and anyone who has eaten a lot of pineapple has felt it; the effects is similar to a topical oral gel used to deaden gum pain. Drink the juice prior to going in, and drink it regularly afterwards. I had all four wisdom teeth pulled when I was 19 and my mom pushed pineapple juice on me endlessly, but I tell you....I had no problems and no real pain, not to mention little or no swelling.

[agentasuka]

Oh God NO!!!!! It's been 3 days since my extractions, I drank some pineapple juice and my wound burned for 10 mins! It was aganizing!!

[spellweaver16]

I feel your pain. It reminds me of the morning after my tonsillectomy. They served me cranberry juice with my breakfast *shudder*

[i_eat_a_lot_of_ice_cream]

After I got my wisdom teeth out, I ate a whole cheesecake. It was simultaneously the best and worst 3 days of my life.

[bethd127]

first ask the doc to give you something for the nausea. I had all 4 out recently. I am allergic to phenergan ( a common anti-nausea med) But he put something in my I.V. (I got completely knocked out) And I didn't have a hint of nausea. Actually enjoyed the codeine high for a few days. That being said, I lived on mashed potatoes. And (yes foodies will cringe) came to love pintos and cheese from Taco Bell. Good luck. And remember, If you get sick just call the doc and he will get you a script for anti-nausea meds. With only one taken out, recovery should be a cinch!

[BeaN]

After getting by on ramen noodles and jello for three days I remember thinking that pintos and cheese were the best thing I'd ever eaten.

I still can't face jello. To me, jello is the food of illness, dental work and death.

[Chimayo Joe]

I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. I talked the doc into doing it under a local, and the procedure really wasn't that bad. The recovery however...I lived on Campbell's Soup at Hand(preferred the Creamy Chicken) for a few days. Jello pudding and mashed potatoes after that. I really didn't want anything I couldn't drink at the beginning.

My wife had her 4 non-impacted wisdom teeth removed(also just under a local), and her recovery was a lot quicker. She was back to eating fairly normally in a few days.

I iced my jaws as soon as I could after the procedure and didn't get a lot of swelling. Still quite a bit of pain starting the next day though. Hurray for vicodin.

[momjamin]

I was looking forward to milkshakes after getting mine out, but had to eat w/a spoon -- the the suction (for using the straw) created too much pressure along the sore jaw/gums.

[Oh Robin]

Mashed potatoes, rice pudding, and chocolate. (melts on tongue)

Avoid coconut at all costs. I had an Almond Joy after mine came out and got a little piece stuck in the wound. Not fun.

[nc213]

we (my husband and I had ours out on the same day) prepared pre-portioned pudding and jello, which was a godsend. the anaesthetic and pain killers really knocked us out, and there was little we could do beyond wander downstairs and grab a bowl. You could do the same for broth, pureed soups, and applesauce.

As is clear from teh other posts, how soon you can get anything semi-solid down seems to depend on your recovery. It was days before I could manage mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, or even egg salad. I also got dry socket, which made me vomit a lot. Having some broth ready for that possibility could be helpful. Make sure that you do the salt-water rinsing, and that they give you that plastic hole-flushing device; it's a big help.

[ipsedixit]

For the first 24-48 hours, anything soft and cold (helps the swelling). Frozen Yogurt or Gelato are good options.

After that, it's really your pain tolerance and how you prefer to chew your food.

[tachis]

Oh, I feel your pain! Had all four of mine (2 impacted) out a few years ago, and similar to some of the posters here, it was not fun--the vicodin made me sick, got dry-socket, some funky business with my sinus cavity (really gross), and then of course, was unable to chew without pain for quite awhile after. That's what I get for waiting until my late 30s to do it!

Anyway, I second the recs on mashed potatoes/gravy, mac n cheese, and soft scrambled eggs. I also made kind of an improvised ochazuke (not sure if I spelled it right)--soup made with green tea, rice, and bits of salmon, seasoned with furakake. Probably not real authentic by anyone's standards, but it was good enough for me at the time and relatively quick to assemble since I had some left-over salmon in the house! Very nourishing without being too "carb-y" or heavy. Oh, and tapioca pudding was a welcome treat. Straws are a no-no.

They will give you post-op directions and recommendations. If your surgeon was like mine, they might give you a syringe type thing that you should use to flush out any food bits that may get trapped. I used a tea-tree rinse rather than water/mouthwash, and that seemed to help the healing of the sutures.

Good luck and speedy recovery!

[Val]

I'm sure this is too late...but my 23 year old son had all 4 out in 2005...second day he LOVED Deviled Ham (very fatty and high in protein) on white bread along with Carnation Instant Breakfasts with whole fat milk...(he's quite the ectomorph, tall and bony in structure)...First Day it was mushed up beef soup in the blender and I added mashed potatoes...I think the key in this wisdom tooth extraction stuff is staying ahead of the pain...if you fall asleep and don't take your pain pills, you are a goner, pain-wise...words from the oral surgeon's mouth: he said one girl just went home and went to sleep, woke up in agony because nobody was there with her to make sure she took the percosets...by now, you are past this stage and I do hope all went well! Bless!

[Rabbit]

Another vote for ice cream - or better yet gelato or sherbert. I agree that milkshakes are too much work. And I didn't care for anything hot - soup may work for you, but I wasn't into it. Pudding was good too - but yogurt felt wrong. I didn't feel I was actually taking in enough calories to care that everything I ingested was "bad."

My w-teeth were pretty easy - I ultimately found the trippy painkillers more disruptive than the wound itself, which was quite untroublesome within 48 hours.

One more cautionary tale - after some minor surgery (not w-teeth, but similar), I had a couple of glasses of wine about 48 hours later and was violently, violently ill. I don't know if you're going right under, but anaesthetic is funky stuff and do be mindful that it can react with various substances in all kinds of ways. Go easy for a while...

[adrienne156]

Everyone has great advice on what to do - here's what NOT to do.

So, I had my wisdom teeth out over the holidays and it was bad. I got dry sockets on the bottoms and spent two weeks alternating between vicodin and percoset, while driving to the oral surgeon's once a day for clove oil dressings stuffed into the sockets... I now get this terrible urge to run screaming every time I smell clove, but, I can't complain because it was all my fault. Why you ask? Because I'm stubborn and refused to eat my mashed potatoes and managed to dislodge the blood clots. That's why.

SO, eat your mashed potatoes and ice cream and cheese cake and love it. Eggs are good, too. I would however, highly recommend avoiding rice and tapioca because the syringe they give you is not really supposed to be used until you've healed up a bit since it can dislodge the blood clot mentioned above.

[Veggietales]

YOu guys are all so awesome... to answer someone asking my age, I'm 27.

The doctor gave me twilight sedation (a triple cocktail of valium, fentanyl, and morphine, I believe) via an IV. I woke up groggy and in a lot of pain. I immediately took 2 vidocin.

Then we raced over to Marie Callender's, where I know they would have no frills food for the senior sector. Had the Baked potato soup, large water, coffee, and I had to have the corn bread- I let it sorta dissolve on the right side of my mouth since it hurts to chew or move my jaw at all.

Thanks everyone! I think I"m going to take another vicodin, the make is still intense.

[Emme]

Just a few of my foods from last year...

Tapioca Pudding from TJ's
Miso Broth w/ chopped garlic, collards, kale, mustard greens, wild mushrooms, asparagus, and tofu or egg whites cooked into it
McCann's oats (from TJ's freezer section)
Pancakes made from egg whites mixed with oats
Egg salad
Cottage cheese w/ barley, splenda, cinnmon, vanilla
Meringues
Baked apple (baked very soft)
Non-fat plain yogurt sweetened w/ splenda and cinnamon applesauce
Nutella
Peanut Butter

As a side note, I had twilight, but I didn't get an IV... In fact, I had a "bad trip" from the Nitrous Oxide and literally thought I died, sat up in the middle of the procedure, and after that, I recall a nurse holding my head still as the doc yanked on the last pesky tooth that "just wouldn't come out." However, on a positive note, I was not swollen at all, and my holes closed up very quickly! Then again, I only owned three wisdom teeth, and all of them were already grown into my mouth and of course not impacted...

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, we understand the desire to offer helpful medical tips, or swap personal oral surgery experiences, but those are beyond the scope of our breezy food site. Please keep your tips focused on foods that eased your recovery. Thank you.

[kirasgirly]

As I'm looking on the search engines for things to eat after my wisdom tooth extraction, which I had taken out about 4 days ago. All I found where items that were not a great thing to eat a lot of on my diet. Occasionaly I'd have a milkshake or a protein smoothie. What I found was a great way to get the calories and nutrients that I needed besides scrambled eggs and clear broths which are kind of bland to me is Baby food. I know sounds nasty, but if you have bought some in the last few years like I have for my niece, you would know that the baby food is not what it used to be. It is a lot better and most are tolerable. Bland but tolerable. I mix it with mashed potatoes that I have added a little salt to and other spices. I've been eating the macaroni and cheese dinners, the meats, chicken and gravy and beef and gravy have been my favorite. I didn't like the ones with brocolli or peas though, but hey at least you'd get the vitamins, minerals and calories you would need. All soft which is good. Also if your a snacker like i am, try the veggie puffs from gerber. They melt in your mouth hehehe. The sweet potato ones have a slighly similar tast to the cereal Kix. The graduate food that are pre done for you is supposed to dissolve in your mouth too, haven't tried those eat though. Thought I'd tell everyone about this, since a lot of forums i've read didn't have any one thing about this :D Hope everyone gets well soon and hope the pain goes away quick for you.

[Leonardo]

Matzoh Ball Soup! That's what my GF made for me when I had my only such extraction at age 39. Yum.

[jbyoga]

Ouch - I remember well...lot's of KFC mashed potatoes....ghetto but yummy!

[mmarchin]

Guacamole hit the spot. Potato soup, fruit smoothies, hummus, mashed potatoes (regular and sweet). A hand mixer came in handy.

[The Dive]

Ethiopian food was perfect as my first solid food after getting a tooth pulled last week.

[sannyc]

Just got back from the oral surgeon's 4 hours ago. Removed 2 impacted (bony) upper wisdom teeth. So totally agree about the ice-cream - I have 2 pints of vanilla, 1 pint of choc and 1 pint of strawberry stashed away in the freezer!

[hey_its_shar]

i just had mine removed today, worst experience of my life so far! and i had braces, but this is far worse. i have been so afraid today of doing something wrong, and my dentist didn't give me much info on what to/not to eat besides not to eat any hard foods or hot soups/drinks. so i did a google search to find out what others ate post wisdom tooth extraction, and this helped. yes, i am replying to this more than a month after but it did offer me help as well. i am ashamed to say i called my mom and asked her to bring me over some KFC mashed potatoes, and a little baby spoon to eat them with so i didnt have to open my mouth too wide. the hard part was, i had 3 teeth extracted altogether today, 2 on the right and 1 on the top left. so i tried "mushing" the mashed potatoes with my front teeth and swallowing it down, taking special care (i hope!) not to get any in the wounds. so i am going to try to follow instructions carefully, hopefully some of the swelling and pain will go down (just took half a vicodin!) and i hope i get a little rest tonight. good luck to anyone having theirs removed soon, trust me, its no joke!

[operagirl]

Hi Everybody,

Just got mine out yesterday morning, and the night before I made myself eight little ramekins of Jello vanilla pudding. Ended up eating most of those yesterday. . . For dinner, my mom made me mashed potatoes with plain yogurt and milk instead of milk and butter -- those went down really easy and it was good to have the yogurt for extra protein.

Today, I'm going to try to make some creamed spinach, then whizz the heck out of it in the blender . . . we'll see how that goes!

[eatateeat]

my extraction was at about noon today. I made a mistake of not going to get percocet before going home. The pain made me rush to fill the prescription and I picked up Mango sorbet and Strawberry sorbet by Haagen Dazs. The sorbet is as filling as yogurt but more tasty in my opinion. Im going to make my own mashed potatoes tonight and maybe scrambled eggs. The percos are working already but I do feel dizzy. I think im going to go lay down. thanks all for your help.

[Megiac]

Blended vegetable soups. Smoothies for breakfast. Really tender braised meets or flaky fishes should be fine too. Nothin you have to chew too much.

[drmimi]

Thank goodness for the blender. When I had 4 wisdom teeth extracted many years ago, the blender was my friend. I resembled Alvin of the Chipmunks and chewing was not an option for many days. Smoothies and other sweet things got boring very fast. With my au pair this past spring, he trended more towards the savory. I'd also suggest miso soup, tofu (especially the softer kind), gazpacho and other cold soups.

[trojandude]

Just had those suckers taken out, what an annoying few days!

I started out with a nice shake/smoothie. The cold helped sooth the mouth. I too got sick of sweet things real fast. Soup is a good option, just don't try any with rice or small pasta bits like I did, it'll get stuck in the hole. Vons actually has some tasty refrigerated soups. Scrambled eggs and oatmeal also worked.

After a day or so I moved on to more solid food. Chili with a baked potato was good. Ravioli worked well too.

[wendy8869]

A day or two after I had mine out, I had some cheese enchiladas from a local restaurant. Wonderfully savory, easy to swallow with minimal, if any, chewing since I cut it into itty bitty pieces. The best darn enchiladas I've ever had, and not because it was from a great place.

[muddygirl]

I'm 28 years old, and I just had 4 impacted wisdom teeth out a couple days ago. Ouch. Here's what (so far) is working for me:
Most of my meals are coming from pre-packaged Indian food (ie. Tastybite). The spinach and cheese is fantastic, as are lentil and potato curries. I've been eating them luke warm, not hot. I'm currently making some lemon coconut dhal, because I've exhausted most of the flavors of premade stuff. I'm eating a lot of yogurt - so far just plain. Homemade chocolate pudding (thanks to my very best friend) is delicious, as is store-bought applesauce (I tend to get lazy removing all the skin from my applesauce, so jarred stuff is working better). Brie cheese and coconut juice (pulp-free) are also wonderful. Over easy eggs are helping satisfy my cravings for meat, but they're still a bit difficult to eat. Sparkling mineral water also worked wonders for nausea from the drugs.

What didn't work:
Fruit is a problem. I guess soft fruits without skins or seeds might work, but I've tried blueberries and strawberries with no luck, even pureed in the food processor. Even fresh lychees (can you get much softer?) didn't seem to work well. Tuna salad tasted wonderful, but I couldn't do more than a bite of it. Bits seemed to get stuck in my stitches. Trying to puree my normal food into baby-food consistency didn't work nearly as well as I had hoped. Still too many bits to get stuck. I don't really eat processed foods, and I don't want to live off ice cream for a week, so it's tough to find things that work.

I'm going to try some fish and maybe oatmeal tomorrow. I really miss grains and meat.

And a word of advice - don't wait!! It's much easier to do it sooner rather than later.

[caliphia]

I just had all four wisdom teeth extracted today. They were all out of the gums, so I was just given topical anesthetic and lidocaine (no gas or IV or anything!). It was pretty painful because I have a high tolerance to things like that, so the dentist wound up giving me 9 viles of the lidocaine instead of 4 like he planned, and it still hurt! Anyway, I found it's really important to get as much nutrition as possible, and though many of the suggestions here would be easy to eat, they aren't really good for you. I've been drinking chocolate slim fasts (high protein for building muscles) because they have all the vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein, fiber, etc. that you need. It's really important to keep good nutrition after surgery, and poor nutrition is the number one cause of dry socket along with smoking (especially in women who see wisdom tooth extraction as a quick way to lose weight since eating hurts anyway). Bad idea! Campbell's tomato soup luke warm was really good, as I was really craving salt (probably cause I lost a lot of blood). It was easier to drink it out of a mug like a drink rather than trying to use the spoon (the slurping action hurt my jaw). I also had a carnation instant breakfast drink, which had all the nutrients as well. I wasn't as fond of the taste, but that is just a matter of preference. Hope this helps other people, I found all the information useful!

[bmubyzal]

Just out of curiosity, did your dentist use absorbable sutures (the kinds that dissolve on their own after a couple of days). Because about 3 days after getting my wisdom teeth removed, the sutures started to dissolve and everything started tasting like starch.

[lamster]

I had mine taken out in April, so just a few months ago. All 4 were impacted.

First of all, stay ahead of the pain for the first few days. Use small spoons to eat because you're not going to be able to open your mouth very well at first.

I ate soup, yogurt, milkshakes, mashed potatoes, very well cooked shredded chicken with the mashed potatoes, and lots of water. Oh, and chinese porridge.

Also, don't try to eat things too hot, it can hurt.

[swsidejim]

Lots of Vicodin,

Also the older you are when you get them pulled the more painfull it is(I was 34 when I got two on mine pulled, 1 impacted)... I didnt get put under for the removal, just general anesthetic. I didnt eat anything but the Vicodin for a few days, and slept, after that it was mashed potatoes, and other soft foods.. Also I didnt enjoy eating at all for a week or so until my mouth healed, and the stiches came out/disolved.

[kulani]

I had two upper and one lower wisdom tooth removed on Monday, 6/25. Been eating mostly cream of brocolli variations ever since and taking Vicodin. Been getting some slight headaches which the doctor said was a side effect of antibiotics and pain medication. How ironic that pain medications would give me headaches. But I want to know when I can start eating regular foods like steaks, I have some buffalo wings waiting for me in the fridge. I just don't want to create an emergency situation with the spicyness. How long do I need to wait before eating steaks and spicy foods, like the normal diet I used to have? It's been 2 days now and most of the pain is gone and the bleeding has stopped. A nice cold Bud Light would be nice too!

[swsidejim]

I think it is all up to the individual, I ate very little until the stiches had disolved, and some of the other stiches had been pulled after about a week. I guess do what feels good for your mouth.

I wouldnt think having a beer would be a big issue, probably just dont drive if mixing with the vicodin, sine it will increase the effects.

[xari]

Hi All!

I'm due to have all four of my wisdom teeth extracted next week and have been doing some advance homework on things I might attempt to eat in the days following.

Happened upon this *extremely* helpful thread in a Google search, and have faithfully written down various suggestions. -- Particularly liking the cheesecake idea. :-)

Question: Someone mentioned they'd gone with lukewarm tomato soup, which made me think about grilled cheese sandwiches. But I've got to think that the mouth/jaw movement to try to consume grilled cheese (not to mention that I might be too sleepy to prepare it!) might be a bit too much. Anyone have any guesses on that?

Thanks in advance!

[Avin]

Well, I had 3 pulled less than a week ago (2 impacted, one not) and here's what I've been eating SO far:
Pudding, Applesauce, Yogurt, "Cream of" soups and mashed potatoes. I have 2 pints of icecream in the freezer, but I haven't really wanted them yet.

I'm hoping to get back on more solid foods as I've gotten really sick of the soft stuff. (I can't wait to have a nice, big SALAD!) I think I'm going to try frenchfries and chicken nuggets for dinner (providing I can get a ride to the fast food place)

In GENERAL: Don't eat the "hard"-er stuff before you feel comfortable, try a test bite, and if it's not working stick to something softer. Avoid seeds and small particle foods as much as possible because it could get stuck in the extraction site. Remember that the first day or so your mouth may feel "numb" so you need to be careful over temperature. NO STRAWS! and get creative. I've found so far that with a little ingenuity, you can make things work.

Best of luck!

[yogablush]

hi:-) I just had 4 horizantally impacted wisdom teeth removed 3 hours ago under IV anaesthesia. First had ice blended coffee from Coffebean and chocolate Slimfast with 1/2 vicodin, keflex then napped. Just had the rest of my ice blended coffee and now watching movie "Aura Borealis-means northern lighs" with my bf. Thinking whats for dinner. Thanks everyone for your tips. Your tips helped me. Oh, I even had my ipod on meditation while on surgery! Icing numb jaw now...

[ekammin]

Find a few Asian recipe that are based on tofu. You can just suck the stuff down even if you can't chew it.

[yogablush]

Thanks! I just had some tofu on miso soup. Made fruit smoothie with almond milk, whey and yogurt. I'm dreaming angelhair pasta with marinara for dinner. The nurse said eat whatever is comfortable so I'll try it later. I look like a chipmunk today! I also got Double Rainbow Ultra Cholate Ice Cream-oh my it's awesome!

[markabauman]

A suggestion from a CH who is also a dentist- don't know if I saw this mentioned above- no alcohol, even if you are taking non-narcotic analgesics or didn't have sedation. Can promote the likelihood of a "dry socket", among other things.

[Frizbree]

I just had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled three days ago. The only spot where I feel pain is on the bottom right (tooth #32) which was my only horizontally impacted one. All of my teeth were erupted or poking through the gums.

The day of my surgery, besides being naseous for like 10 mins from swallowing so much blood, I felt minimal pain and was able to eat a yogurt and drink a protein shake. I pretty much slept all day besides that.

The following day I had an oatmeal milkshake: ice, one package of oatmeal (cinnamon bun, my fav) and some milk, blended in the wonderful device called a blender - delish! I had some macaroni and beef for lunch, pretty much swalling most bites whole, as I've been doing with most my meals. I've also been making sure to take my daily vitamins.

The only food that has taken all the pain away and felt really good was ice cream. I made sure not to have anything mixed in it (went to Marble Slab) just in case something were to get into one of my GIANT holes. :D

I'm thinking Wendys tonight for a frosty. Yum! Vicodin also helps with the pain, but I suggest only taking them before bed, unless your day is not planned for any serious activity. I'm also on antibiotics. So far no sign of dry socket, thank God. :D

All in all, I can say that this whole wisdom teeth thing sucks and I can't wait till I can eat normal again! :) You don't realize how much you take masticating for granted!

[ganeden]

I had all 4 extracted at one sitting, and I lived off milkshakes and malts the first day, and years later, so did my oldest kids. The straw fits perfectly between the packing on either side of the mouth so it's no necessary to remove the packing, the cold is perfect, there are enough carbs to get one anxious to get up and move around, and they taste good.

[bloodydiamonds]

You aren't supposed to drink from a straw after you get your wisdom teeth out. It's better just to sip from a cup

[HunterBlack]

Hi...I had my lower left wisdom tooth and my second molar extracted five days ago. It has been healing well and I can now almost go back to my normal diet. This site helped me a lot this past few days but the only problem is I have noticed that there are no asian food suggestions. As an Asian myself, I have dearly missed rice....you could even say I went through rice withdrawal. So....I decided to try some putu mayam (idiyappum) on the fourth day of the surgery and it helped me deal with the situation. I would also like to suggest idhlis and dosas. A word of advice though, make sure you are ready before you try this(preferably not on the first day) ....and try not to get anything stuck in the big gaping hole in your gums. It also better to start earlier than later because the longer you take the more painful it is the first time. Well....Good Luck...I hope this helped

[gamble43]

IHOP's corned beef hash omlette. It's soft, and it comes with three pancakes.

[Justpaula]

This past summer I scared the daylights out of my co-workers when mid-lunch Iscreamed and started crying hysterically. Within an hour I was at the dentist where I found out I had a severly INFECTED bony impaction wisdom tooth - the next day the oral surgeon yanked it. I hurt so bad for days, but three weeks later I went and had two regular wisdom teeth removed and I was fine that same night. So, hopefully you will be okay before you know it!

I actually delighted in going to Boston Market and ordering large containers of mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, sweet potatoes, and mac and cheese. I remember the server looking at me oddly and asking, "No chicken?" Other than that, ramen noodle soup, my boyfriend made me his potato leek soup, I made a lot of fruit smoothies (no straw though!), italian ices, pudding and yogurt, and, well, I happen to like chopped liver so I got some for fulfilling the protein craving.

I did not have a problem with the Percoset, but if you do, get some Tylenol PM,'cuz really sleeping is the best way to deal with pain.

[spellweaver16]

Oh, owch! You poor thing. None of my wisdom teeth have come in yet (and they can all stay in there!), but I had a regular molar pulled that was really close to my jaw joint. After the initial mashed potatoes and smoothie phase, I nearly lived on NutriGrain bars and Campbell's chicken noodle. And I was overjoyed the night I got to have some beef and noodle soup from a local restaurant.

[chalenegirl]

i just got all 4 of my W-teeth removed YEstarday, and yes they were all impactd and under the gum. i was put under (thank god) and given tyenol #3s, percocet, and penacillin to ward off any infections. I slept for the first 8 hrs after my surgery, and then i started off my clear broth, and moved onto oatmeal, and congee and tofu (blended with a hand blended so it was SMOOTHHH). i can't eat anything that i have to use my teeth with, so everythign basically has to be the consistancy of apple sauce. today i've had mashed SWEET potatoes with cheese (sweet potatoes are way more nutrious vs reg, and the cheese adds protein), soy milk and probiotic yogurt (protein and calcium), mango juice, and more congee with tofu (blended super smooth). you want ot make sure there there are no particle that can get stuck in your sockets to avoid infection. infection usually starts when ppl eat and use their wounded gums to chew b4 they are ready. it's only day 2, and my face looks like i'm pocketing apricots in both of my cheeks. make sure no straws! avoid super hot or super cold things. lastly, it's impt to have enough nutritional intake so that your wounds can heal. mainly protein, vit C and all your other vitamins and minerals.

[missy 35]

I had all four of my wisdom teeth (and one additional tooth) pulled about 36 hours ago. Two of the wisdom teeth were impacted and the doctor ended up using a drill to remove one in pieces. The worst pain was about 12 hours post surgery, but it is really not as terrible as I expected. My mouth is still numb below my bottom lip, but I've been able to eat rice, yougurt, mashed potatoes, spagettios and even some freshly homemade tomato sause with piece of Wonder White bread. Not exactly lavish, but I'm fairly satisfied. The rice definitely filled me and the saltiness from the soy sauce could only help!

[Finnguala]

I had all 4 taken out 2 days ago. Can't say I have been eating the most nutritionally balanced diet, but what has been tasting might fine to me is:

V8 juice
babaganoush
hummus
cheesecake
brie
yogurt
ice cream
kraft dinner
bananas
avacado

I think for all the ladies out there drinking cranberry juice is a good idea when on the antibiotics

I am also drinking luke warm green tea - thought maybe the tannins might help with the clotting, but I have not found anything specific online to back this up

[brae]

Yesterday i went though the pleasure of nto only having all 4 impacted and infected wisdom teeth out but another tooth aswell! So having 5 teeth extraced at one time was not the funnest time of my life!!
So far i have managed to slurp down some soup.. a mushed up banana and a yogurt. Tomorrow im gonna try the mashed potaoes and gravy i need some substanace as i feel like im fading away!
A good hint my dentist gave to me for preventing dry sockets is the first and second day to bute down on a tea bag... there is something in the tea bag that give a clotting affect therefor helping to not get a dry socket!!

[jrhsfcm]

I had my wisdom teeth taken out about 8 years ago and had issues with severe bleeding. My oral surgeon also suggested lightly biting down on black tea bags, as black tea apparently has properties that aid in coagulation. The advice worked; however, to this day, I cringe at even the scent of Earl Grey!

[OCEllen]

I think the best advice is to just eat what you like and CAN. Depends if both sides of your mouth will be affected. There seems to be plenty of advice and sad stories already posted - I wonder why oral surgeons call themselves surgeons?????

[cresyd]

This thread and most wisdom teeth conversations always end up making me feel jealous. I had all 4 removed at once, and could only eat oatmeal for 2 weeks. The pain wasn't an issue at all, but my cheeks were so swollen i couldn't chew without biting myself.

My scheduling probably didn't help me at all though since I had it done the day before I had to fly back to school. So there I was miserable in my dorm room, with massive chipmunk cheeks subsisting on oatmeal.

[Saffer]

I had my all 4 wisdom teeth removed 4-days ago. Stock up on Baby Fruit Food, it tastes fabulous and goes down easily. Mashed potatoes mix in some chicken broth to make it a bit more smooth. Cottage Cheese is a good choice too as well as Baby Yogurt (comes in different flavors without any chunks or seeds!)

Baby Fruit Puffs are a good snack too they melt right on your pallet and helps with snacking urges.

[Kajikit]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've got a bad tooth and have to see the oral surgeon as soon as possible next week (why do bad things always happen just before a weekend?!) so I came and looked up this thread for ideas... yesterday I ate a yoghurt, a small bowl of beef chilli with beans that I'd made a few days ago (it worked well because it was just ground beef and beans with seasoning and it was soft enough that it didn't need any chewing), Kozy Shack tapioca and apple sauce, and a couple of bananas (they were a little hard to eat without actually 'chewing' but I managed!)
This morning my bad tooth is sore but I'm HUNGRY, so I made myself three extra-soft scrambled eggs with some ham slivered up as finely as I could cut it and grated cheese - that was GOOD! Now it's off to the grocery store to fill my prescriptions and get some soft foods I can actually eat (but which will hopefully be at least semi-nutritious instead of just sugar!). I'm going to buy:
- fruit juice
- weetabix (turn into MUSH when you put milk on them and taste great)
- creamy vegetable soup
- apple sauce
- fruit smoothies with added fiber
- chocolate pudding
- some super-soft bread that I can gum to death with lots of hummus
- and yoghurt

[Bus]

I am 46 and just had all four wisdom teeth out yesterday. I've gotten through the first 24 hours on Wendy's Frosty's and Percocets, and I'm REALLY ready to move on. I don't get terribly excited about mashed potatoes, but thanks to this forum, I'm inspired to let go of my whining and head to Boston Market tomorrow. I never eat fast food, so I'll look forward to it as fullfilling a devilish urge. I almost ate rice tonight, but had the instinct to hold back. This forum's repeated suggestions to skip it are a godsend. That would likely be my next move! Thanks for all your suggestions. I promise to let you in on anything really special. But it sounds like I just need to suck up to the mundane and bear with it.

On my age, I'm a little surprised that I am not in much pain at all, but I'm following directions to a tee. This is not something I want to mess with. The words Dry Socket are the worst sounding of all.

Avocados sound good. As do bananas.

But I'm really yearning for peanut butter because I'm really hungry. Has anyone had issues with it?

I'm eager to try the tea bag suggestion as I will in the morning. Afraid the caffiene will keep me up tonight and ruin my percocet buzz.

[LindaWhit]

Bus, if you want peanut butter, perhaps creamy style only. Not chunky - those little pieces of peanut might get stuck and the dreaded words could rear their ugly head again. :-) So maybe just creamy peanut butter by the spoonful and just lick it off the spoon.

[spellweaver16]

Try some creamy peanut butter on soft white bread. Or you could mix it with honey or something else to thin it out a little.

[Bus]

I promised to share anything I came across to make this more pleasurable (if possible!)

The secret for me has been soup! Once this thought crossed my mind, I started enjoying a wide variety of tasty soups. Its now been four days post surgery, but I still have a bit of pain, exacerbated by chewing. So soup has been wonderful. I've had tomato, lentil, pho, and japanese udon. In some cases I'm willing to chomp on some noodles. The udon noodles were best here since they are so tender. I avoided my favorite Tom Yum because of the spicy warnings.

I have been a dutiful patient following the instructions literally which I advise. I'm very much looking forward to getting back to my nightly glass of wine, but heard that you should avoid alchohol for a week.

I'm a fanatic about washing my mouth out with salt water after each meal which isn't a good chaser for everything. But it's fine.

I followed the peanut butter suggestions. Thank you!

Anyway, I do appreciate finding this wonderful website devoted to my favorite topic: food!

I look forward to joining in on more enjoyable topics than wisdom teeth!

[Kajikit]

I'm having three teeth out next week... and the surgeon's advice was nothing spicy, no chewing for a few days, no straws and no sucking. I'm planning to live on soup (again) and hoping that I heal fast.
BTW the 'soft' bread I tried last week didn't work out - I couldn't bite it! It only worked out dunked in soup... homemade soups are great though, much better than canned! Weetabix and applesauce made a great mouth-friendly breakfast too.

[gordeaux]

I had two wisdom teeth, and an impacted front side tooth extracted all at the same time a year ago.

A good meal:
finely chopped chicken mixed in with mashed potatoes. I even used chopped up extra crispy kfc. no need to chew, and you feel like you are getting some substance. I highly recommend giving this a try. I also threw some garam masala into some mashed taters with a ton of butter. YUMMMM.

You take a fork full of the potatoes, put it on your tongue, and kind of push it to the back of your mouth, and swallow. I don't think the tiny grainy things like oatmeal, or malt-o meal are the greatest ideas because thos tiny grains can get in those sockets and cause a bit of havoc if you don't rinse them out well. Thankfully, I had very little pain, and no problems. I lived on pudding, mashed potato concoctions, and applesauce for a few days, then moved onto eggs/tofu for a few days, and then I was back to normal pretty much after a week. Ooh - another funky thing: If your family gets a pizza - you can scrape the dough+sauce under the cheese and eat it. after the second or third day, when you are desperate, this is a LUSCIOUS meal. LOL!

[Mrs.Sparkles]

I highly recommend V8 Vfusion juices! They are a nice break from the "tomato taste" of regular V8, come in many great flavors and provide a full serving of BOTH fruit & veg in each 8 ounce serving! This stuff is liquid GOLD! Word of advice: DO NOT BUY THE "LIGHT" version! It is the same price as the regular but provides HALF of the health benefits! I think they just cut the regular with water by half, which you could do at home and get twice as much for the money. Also Slim Fast shakes are great. My husband likes Spirutien (soy &whey) shakes. You can by the stuff at GNC or other health food stores. I like the babyfood idea too. Baby rice and baby oatmeal cereals mixed with babyfood fruit is pretty good. Baby rice cereal can thicken up most things without changing the taste much and has a good consistancy. Good Luck!

[Kajikit]

I was very dubious about babyfood but sick to death of applesauce so I tried some peach babyfood and it was darned good! A nice intense fruity flavour, no preservatives or flavourings or added chemicals, and no disgusting corn syrup! All with a baby-smooth texture that blended beautifully into a serve of pudding to make it fruit-flavoured. I could see myself buying it even when I WASN'T tooth-impaired because it comes in all different flavours and tastes pretty good.

[littlebit232]

I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth taken out 5 days ago. So far so good. The 1st day is all about yogurt-with no big fruit pieces, chicken broth,and applesauce. I actually had ramen noodles (crushed up baby fine) on the 2nd day. Just swollow the noodles whole-and cheese & broccoli soup and spegatti. On the 4th day I chewed gum very carefully-it actually helped me to get used to chewing things again. The left side of my face is numb including my chin still-so I have to chew very slow to not really hurt myself. I had pancakes on the 5th day! YUM! so far no dry sockets! Good Luck to everyone else!

[odkaty]

You ate the first day? I had 3 impacted teeth removed Thursday and spent the next 24 hours vomiting. (FWIW regular coke really does help with nausea)

[adventuresinbaking]

I stocked up on a lot of soft food, but the stuff that really hit the spot was rice pudding (kozy shack), ginger ale, vanilla ice cream, and some cream soups.

Yogurt and apple sauce were to much for me.

[bitsubeats]

didn't read this ENTIRE post...but i'm dying from pre surgery wisdom tooth pain. I am actually getting xrayed tomorrow and ive been dying for the past week cause my gums have been swollen (i'm pretty sure i have an infection). But i just made this super easy microwavable pudding from this website: http://www.recipezaar.com/76491 and it was pretty tasty. I stirred in some peanut butter morsels and it tastes like a melted reeses pieces bar.

How about a simple and easy mango smoothie? I have a huge box of mangos that are uber soft so I peel them before they get any softer, chop them up, and throw them in the freezer. I then throw them in the blender with a bit of milk and it makes a nice simple smoothie for breakfast. If i'm hurting this bad, I can't wait to find out how awful i'll be feeling after the surgery ):

[sfumato]

My mom made this soup and the put it in the blender for my two extractions (they were terrible and I've two more to go... ugh). So satisfying AND filling at a time of pure dietary frustration! I could eat it- pureed or not- all winter long.

Moosewood Persian Stew (the poster left out the currants... add a handful during the last 5 minutes of cooking)

http://www.recipezaar.com/229313

Hope all you sufferers feel better soon!!!

ETA: One more tip... my dentist, who was also my most excellent surgeon for the extractions, had me keep a regular black tea teabag (I used Lipton, though I don't drink that brand) gently stuffed between the stitches in back. I changed the teabag every few waking hours or so, and I used them for the first few days. He said something about the tannins being astringent (apparently they help stop the initial bleeding you might have) and the pressure helping with the pain. I tell everyone about this- I really believe that it worked, and it was oddly soothing, too. My gag reflex is fairly strong, and it was worth it to overcome for the strange source of relief. I had a clean and speedy recovery after both of my long, involved, impacted-tooth extractions.

[bitsubeats]

that soup sounds really tasty. I'm sure i'll be sipping this shortly after the deed. I also didn't know that you couldn't have your teeth pulled...all of them, at the same time. Hope your next surgery goes well....good luck and i hope you have a speedy recovery

[sfumato]

I highly recommend it because it's so filling! A nice change from jello and broth. Just remember to NOT try and chew.

Yup, I had each one done separately (they each took about 2 hours- they were very deep and the nerves were all wrapped around bone and other teeth or something horrible, I didn't really want to know) within a 6 month period a few years ago, but I do know people who've had easy extractions and had them all out at once. I'm jealous!

Thanks for the well wishes... I've got to schedule the last two soon. He said I could wait a few years, so I've used up my time. Ugh.

I hope your surgery goes well and that the recovery is a relief from the pain you're in now!!!

[screwinmyhip]

I just had all four of my impacted wisdom teeth taken out this morning.
all I know is I'm hurting. really bad. I tried to eat smooth yogurt and even that made them bleed really bad.

I'm not sure what I can try to eat- I haven't eaten in 24 hours

[markabauman]

At very least, try to get in some liquids-broth, Gatorade, etc., milkshake-but don't use a straw-the suction can dislodge the clot and cause a "dry socket". Use ice packs. No smoking, no alcohol- these are the basics I advise to my patients.

[gordeaux]

Eat more of the vicodin ;-)

Try choc pudding. Push it to the back of your throat with your tongue and swallow bypassing all of your teeth. The enzymes from the yogurt might cause some stinging on the exposed unhealed flesh of your gums. This might be why yogurt is used to tenderize meat?

Seriously, I stayed knocked the F out for the first two days. Your mouth should heal quickly if you can avoid the dry socket issue. Hang in there. I'd guess by this time tomorrow, you'll be eating something a tiny bit more substantial. The Vicodin helps keep your mind off of food tho. ;-)

[sfumato]

I know it's late now, but really do try the teabags for the bleeding (see my post a few posts up).

[jellyroll1968]

I just had one impacted removed yesterday and I've used the ensures, the ice cream and applesauce, but wasn't getting enough calories and was feeling loopy. The best thing I think is to make smoothies with Kefir. I use the strawberry banana one and throw a banana in there since there aren't little seeds that may not get blended up and thus end up in the incision area. It's yogurt so it's good source of protein and also helps counteract antibiotic side effects by keeping your digestive flora and fauna better balanced. I can't open my mouth very wide so eating the ice cream and applesauce is an exercise. If you have a food processor that opens your possibilities, you can puree fruits and veggies to make cold soups, which will help with pain and swelling in mouth. Probably could do that in a blender pretty well too. Everybody who's posted has had some wonderful suggestions.

Good luck to those who are looking at this post to get some ideas for future or current extractions

[sfumato]

Hope you're feeling better soon!

[justjoe]

Had my wisdom tooth out a few days ago. No pre-op instructions - in fact I just walked in with what I thought was a very minor toothache - and no post-op instructions either, except to go gentle on it for the first 24 hours, like no heavy exercise or swishing liquid around hard, but otherwise no restrictions. The whole thing was pain free and it feels like it's mostly healed already. I hear that the lower tooth might be a bit more difficult.

[Mofro]

I see this was posted in Feb! Hope everything went well! I had my wisdom tooth (non-impacted) pulled with relative ease, got vicodin but didn't take it because the little to no pain. But I didn't notice til I got home that I had no after-care instructions. The dentists rattled off a list of do's & dont's and said don't worry you'll get instructions--NOT! So I asked my pharmacist and she suggested salt water rinse which i've been gargling with (gently but FREQUENTLY) and rinsing (gently) with water after every meal one of which was pisatchio ice cream. I'm worried about dry socket now after reading these posts. I feel a slight suction near the area and am worried the clot did not form. It's nearing on 48hrs after. How do u know u have dry socket and how long does it take to develop? Thanks for any help! The food suggestions have been great!

[sfumato]

Never had dry socket (knock on wood), so I had to look this up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_teeth#Dry_socket
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dry-...

Check out the teabag advice I posted earlier, and good luck!

[spellweaver16]

You will know if you get dry socket. From all the descriptions I've heard, it's very intense pain that can radiate up the side of your face. If you experience this, call your dentist ASAP! They'll pack the socket with gauze, usually soaked in clove oil to soothe it and keep it moist. Clove oil is a natural topical anesthetic.

[othervoice]

For all of those with surgery coming. There is hope. I had all four pulled, two were impacted. I had very little pain. The whole thing was done in 20 minutes once the novacain took affect. I ate soups afterward, but I love soup probably would have eaten it anyway. I gave it about 12 hours and then I had a cigarette, ( I know, I know ) but it tasted real good. I was eating regular food within 48 hours.

[Caroline1]

I got really excited about five or six months ago when I ran across a research report that said researchers in Britain had successfully implanted adult stem cells with the result that the recipient grew new teeth. WOW, I thought, how great is that!

The next day I thought about my infant son cutting five teeth at one time and running a 106F temperature, unable to eat for days, crying around the clock from pain.

Then I had this mental picture of some dopey dentist implanting 28 seedlings in a patient's gums, the pain driving the patient nuts so he comes back and beats the dentist to a pulp! (pun intended) '-)

Can you imagine a diet lasting weeks on end while you cut teeth and subsist on milk toast, tapioca, and Darvon? I don't think so!

[wizzies]

I had my wisdom teeth (all 4) extracted 7 days ago and I am still in pain. I took the vicodin the first 3 or 4 days but then I had to go back to work so I couldnt take them while trying to concentrate at the office/driving. As far as food goes, the first day I had mashed potatoes & jello. After I quit taking the Vicodin, I switched to Excedrin and took WAY too many without realizing it in a 24 hr period and was extremely sick to my stomach so make sure you are reading the labels of over the counter medicine as well. I then switched to a lower dose of ibuprofen which worked better for me as far as the nausea, but of course with it not being as strong I am suffering from the pain. I did get a little bit of a dry socket so I had to go back to the dr to get the clove oil packing put in. Helped the pain immediately but had that disgusting smell/taste of the clove oil & you cannot get away from it. I have eaten oatmeal for breakfast, drank lots of water & green tea, I have continued to eat jello, pudding & flavored yogurt with no problems. Pasta does get stuck in your sockets and can be painful to try to remove with the syringe. I think that is what gave me the dry socket. I am going to eat French Onion Soup tonight and stick to things that are more liquidy. I had good luck eating a muffin because it is soft and will dissolve easily. I ate broccoli cheese soup with ease as well. I ate a DQ blizzard and got the chucks of "stuff" stuck in my sockets so stick to very well blended things like milkshakes. Good luck & hopefully it isnt as painful as mine was. I cant believe its been that bad because they were not even impacted.

[Emme]

speaking of dissolvable, my friend had oral surgery on monday, so i made him a batch of meringues, and he's loved them as they dissolve so readily in his mouth. im going over to make him dinner tomorrow that will include spinach souffle, gazpacho, and perhaps panna cotta.

[wizzies]

One more thing....if you do get a dry socket you will definitely know it. It is radiating/throbbing pain up and down your jaw and can make your ear hurt as well. Go straight to the dr and get the clove oil packing. It tastes horrible but at least the pain will subside.

[Nzie]

Thanks to everyone for all the replies to this topic-- I am reading and getting new ideas for my pre-vicodin shopping trip tomorrow morning. I have a food suggestion as well, a soup my grandma taught me that she learned from her grandmother. I had all 4 pulled today and all were impacted, so I was knocked out and am taking it easy.

Grandma's recipe has two ingredients, broth (about a serving size worth- maybe 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups) and egg (one egg per serving of broth). Beat the egg a bit and set aside. To keep the temperature at a comfortable warm-but-not-hot-on-my-painful-gums level, pour half the broth in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, reserving the other half. Once it's boiling, slowly pour the egg in (in strings, almost), beating the soup as you go so that it doesn't get clumpy. Once it's all the way in, turn down or off the heat and add the rest of the broth, then stir. That should cool it down a lot, pour it into your bowl, and when the temp. is to your liking, go ahead and eat it. It's very gentle going down- grandma said my great great grandmother would always tell her to eat some saying it would 'slide down' her throat, and it does. :D

Okay, I'm letting the vicodin kick in before bed and planning my list of pudding, applesauce, drinkable campbell's, and slimfasts. Thanks folks!
~Nzie

[josquared]

I'm glad I found this thread myself. I had three W-teeth taken out a couple days ago. Got in on the gelato and smoothies and pineapple juice first day, and even tested out the baby food idea (not that bad actually.)

One thing I found that worked well on the second day was a combo of hummus and La Tortilla Factory EVOO wraps - even chewing with the front part of the mouth, you could get the wrap mashed up well and transfer it back for swallowing. Managed to get down some oatmeal as well.

But boy, I am jonesing for something crunchy and chewy now.

[jbyoga]

Man - I remember that...KFC mashed taters.....smoothies. A complete and balanced diet - right?

[rerem]

I had a large nasty molar pulled,and the dentist said,why not take the wisdom teeth too while we're at it. That molar had turned me into a whiskey drinker for a week,so I hardly felt the wisdom teeth get pulled or noticed pain later. The molar must have been 3" deep and radioactive,it didn't come out easy but the hurt without it was less than the hurt with it.
I think I had a couple shots of Wild Turkey and a half tub of cottage cheese. Next day I was back to my usual "brown food group" Coffee-Chocolate-Beer,with a side of a half of a BBQ chicken.

I reckon living with a rather large molar that went full nasty must have tilted my pain threshold..getting rid of it was such an improvement a couple of wisdom teeth went almost unnoticed.

[rerem]

When I was a kid and got sick,something mom fed me was poached eggs on milk toast. It's a couple of poached eggs on a slice of buttered toast in a bowl with hot milk on it all. I guess the theory is it's very digestible and nutritious...tasty too. Does not need much chewing. For us....Chicken soup was just a follow up. Poached Eggs on Milk toast was the main cure.

[spellweaver16]

My mom does the same thing, only it's tomato soup instead of milk, sans poached egg.

[tek79angel]

I got 8 teeth removed at once (4 impacted wisdoms and 4 others due to braces).

Words of Advice: With all wounds, you need extra calories to speed the healing process. You won't feel like eating, but force yourself... especially if you're taking pain killers. Don't forget to add protein. Smoothies with protein powder are quick and easy (FYI: Most store bought smoothies have >30 grams of sugar. You're better off making your own.) Stay away from acidic and spicy for the first couple of days, your sockets will STING and THROB. Stay hydrated (You need good saliva production to fight off bacteria).

Here are some foods that got me through:
Breakfast:
- Scrambled eggs, soft jasmine rice, mixed with cream of chicken soup.
- Life cereal with soy milk, "chop" in blender.... don't use the food processor or blend button.... you'll end up with mush.
- Papaya or ripe mango
- Choc/PB/Banana smoothie: 5 cubes of ice, 1 cup vanilla ice cream, 1/4 cup of soymilk or regular milk, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 banana, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter
- Yogurt

Lunch/Dinner:
- Japanese Miso soup with Tofu
- Chinese jook (soft rice soup)
- Ramen (I like saporro brand the best). Break the noodles while in the bag so it's easier to eat when cooked. Add an egg at the end of cooking and mix.
- Mashed potato with gravy
- Filipino mongo bean soup and Ariscaldo
- Hummus - if you have a blender - lots of recipes online - very easy to make.

[sanderson33]

Hi, I found this thread last week before I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. Thank you to everyone that provided advice, experience and food suggestions. Now it's my turn to share.

Even though I had all 4 teeth out in one shot, my surgery was one of the easiest to say the least. All 4 teeth were erupted and my roots were short and untangled. The only reason for the removal was that all 4 had developed cavities due to the difficulty in cleaning so far back there. My surgery was all of about 20 minutes including the time to put me to sleep and wake me again. I had pretty much no pain or swelling. I kept waiting the entire first day for something to kick in but I had nothing more than a slight dull headache which I suspect was more so from me not eating since the night before. At no point did I even feel the need to take aspirin.

Still I wanted to be extra careful so as to not develop dry sockets. So I stuck to soft foods. I had a lot of what was suggested here ~ soup, carnation instant breakfasts (a better source of nutrition), pudding, Betty Crocker flavored mashed potatoes, and, available this time of year (November) – flavored eggnog! They had pumpkin and sugar cookie flavors. It was kind of nice because the eggnog was thick enough to feel as if you were getting some sustenance although like everything else, the sweetness was a bit much after having a few.

I am eating more freely now but sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it for the time it takes to get all the gunk out of the holes where my teeth on the bottom once resided. I hope that area fills in soon!

[jordana]

I had 2 very badly impacted wisdom teeth out thursday and had to get stitches. For everyone who needs to have the procedure it isn't bad at all. I have only taken advil the first day and have not needed any serious pain medicine. The only thing is that i am still not comfortable eating. I have been living on applesauce and just eating it bec i have to take antibiotics. When will i feel comfortable eating again? also how long after surgery can you drink from a straw?

[heehahahahahee]

Could you take it a step further for me? I know that virtually anything soft goes...But I have a short gut and digestion problems, so I need foods that are high in potassium and I must have protein... Dehydration is very much a concern for me because I cannot absorb water without solid food in my stomach, so while many people would do okay on a clear liquid diet or on foods like ice cream, jello, applesauce, and chicken noodle soup or broth, I would quickly dehydrate and develop diarrhea. So I'm looking for foods like scrambled eggs, baked potato with butter and chives, mashed sweet potatoes, thick, high-potassium stuff like that. Can anyone suggest some more things like that? Smoothies of course will probably be half of my diet, but since they're liquid they can't be more than that. I'm rather nervous--they're telling me that my case is going to be unusually complicated and there's a chance they will have to break my jaw to get two of my impacted wisdom teeth out, but it has to be done and better sooner rather than later.... So any ideas will be appreciated!

[Mellicita]

Mashed bananas
Mashed avocado or guacamole
Tomato soup (Cook tomatoes with a little garlic and onion in chicken broth, blend with a touch of cream, and add some fresh basil.
Yogurt is quite high in potassium
Beans are very high in potassium, so something like a pureed white bean soup or pureed lentil soup or white bean dip would be good.
Creamed spinach.
Mashed squash.

[heehahahahahee]

Thanks, those are some very good ideas! I will certainly add those things to my list. I'm going to have my surgery in two weeks, so doing my advanced homework. I rather love creamed spinach mixed with avocado (weird I know, but I like it!) and Taco Bell's Pintoes N Cheese... Anyway thanks again!

[Jacey]

Ricotta Cheese: It can take on many forms for sweet or savory dishes by changing the additives.

[matt84]

Here is my story. I got only 2 wisdom teeth. Thats the only good part. The bad part is that they are both completely encased in the bone and are completely horizontal impacted as well. I'm 24 and I choose to remove these even though I dont have any pain.

The left one is a blast. It took 70 minutes to remove and when it came out, it came out in 8 pieces. The right one is slightly easier, came out in 3 pieces in about 20 minutes. I only have local anesthesia btw. (crazy, i know).

About the pain, I dont feel any during the procedure, but I do hear lots of noises since the oral surgeon has to drill and cut my bone away.

Bleeding stops about 3 hours after surgery. I take vicodin and ibruprofen right after, and every 6 hours for 2 days along with amoxcillin for infection prevention. After 2 days, I stop taking vicodin because there is no pain.

Swelling starts about 6 hours after, but not much swelling occurs because of ice pack. 3 days later swelling starts to go down.

I follow directions very carefully, rinse with warm salt water the day after surgery every 4 hours to promote healing. No dry socket so far, and its been 6 days already.

Tomorrow is day 7, and I have to come back to the surgeon office for check up. Hopefully everything goes well.

Probably the worst part is the diet. I have to stick to liquid for 2 days, then soft diet for another 4 days. Now I'm still on soft diet and I long to have a steak for a change...

[Val]

Matt!!! Poor guy...truly, reading all of these and remembering what 2 of my 3 sons went through (one has his still, never a problem, knock on wood)...I think that it is harder for males...they just want MEAT and they want it right away. Everyone's comments about the need for protein is well taken, it stays with you longer but that junky deviled ham really helped my youngest son back in 2005.

[hernandez1587]

i just had all four removed yesterday morning, only one had come out so that's the area with the least pain/swelling. i stocked up on a drinkable yogurt with probiotics and have been sipping on that all day.

also, i ate some before taking my vicodin, and when i took the vicodin i coated it in yogurt so it would slide back down. luckily haven't gotten sick from the painkillers yet, make sure you eat to keep the nausea down.

last night had some homemade chicken soup, smashed up the carrots, zucchini, and potatoes in there. took a while to eat but still managed.

off to trader joe's to buy their mac & cheese and their instant mashed potatoes. both require only milk & butter :)

ps. still can barely open my mouth and have a hard time talking. any suggestions/

[matt84]

Hernandez, probably the surgeon kept your mouth wide open for a really long time and so the muscle is swollen. Try to open your mouth couple times a day in a period of 5 or 6 days, each day you should try to open it wider and wider so that your jaw muscle can be stretched accordingly.

I dont know why but my mouth is completely fine, I can open my mouth without much difficulty about 2 days after surgery. Btw when I go to the surgeon office for check up on day 7, he said I recover really fast, considering how much bone he had to cut away to remove my impacted teeth. He also told me the sockets were filled completely with blood and thus I won't experience dry socket.

Today is day 9, my jaw still feel kinda weird, I can eat semi solid food now, but not the crunchy stuff like chips... I'm still afraid of chewing meat since I don't want it to get stuck in the big hole and get infected...

[jordana]

I am almost completely recovered and it has been about 6 weeks since my procedure.
If you live in NYC head over to pastrami queen. They make the softest potato knishes and in the week after my procedure my diet was basically applesauce and a knishes.

I had dissolving stitches in my mouth and it took me a good 3 weeks till i felt almost normal and could open my mouth completely.

[cleinen]

I just got all 4 of my wisdom teeth out yesterday morning. by noon yesterday I had all the feeling back in my mouth and almost no pain. Ice your mouth like crazy and DON'T miss your meds.
I suggest that you try Tomato Soup, and if you dont have all the feeling back in your mouth take crackers and smash them into the soup so that it has a more solid consistency that you can feel in your numb mouth. I've also been able to eat Easy Mac, its not the best food in the world but the noodles are soft and you can swallow them without chewing.
My mom had dry socket when she had her teeth pulled and she said it all has to do with keeping your nutrition up. So get your vitamins!

[HisFlyAsianGirl]

I'm fifteen and i had to take out my bottom two wisdom teeth yesterday morning. I was going to do all four but my top two are so far up that it would be really complicated to try and remove them. I only had the local anesthetic, but the surgeon i went to let me listen to my ipod during the procdeure, so it wasn't TOO bad. Apart from the numbing shots (i HATE needles!) everything else was pretty bearable. I took some codein after the numbness had worn off, and then i ate a can of cambell's soup for dinner. Today i ate plenty of ice cream, popsicles, and another can of soup. My uncle had bought KFC for dinner and i couldn't resist, so i ate chicken, mashed potatoes, and some biscuits for dinner. It was pretty okay, i just took small bites and made sure to chew in the front of my mouth. Other than that, i havent experienced any major pain, i'm just relaxing all day.
I think you can eat pretty much anything you want, within reason. Just be careful and you should be fine! :)

[KdKd]

OK..today I am having a wisdom tooth removed. I am going to drink lots of iced tea(no lemon..it might sting) and I will eat the creamy parts of pies....like key lime, chocolate, lemon, cheesecake...but no crusts.

[sfumato]

Remember that it's not always easy to move food around in your mouth after the surgery... so even if you aren't chewing those pie fillings (mmm), your tongue will still have to work to help you swallow, which can be painful and not terribly clean. Make sure you get some dentist-approved mouth rinse (I was given a very light saline one that didn't hurt), or swish with warm water a lot!

[wisdomteethgirl]

My extraction has been kind of rough. I was silly and waited until I was 26 to deal with my wisdom teeth - I would not recommend this! They were only able to remove 2 teeth on one side of my mouth so far since on of the teeth was sitting on either side of the nerve and was a tough extraction. I threw up twice the day after the surgery and was in bed on percoset the next five days. The toughest part has been just eating enough to keep my strength up. It has been 9 days since the surgery and I am able to eat soft foods now. Here's how the last week has gone - first apple sauce, home made tapioca pudding, ramen soup with noodles crushed up and basically swallowed without chewing, bean bisque soup with avocado and cheese, scrambled eggs with cheese, lukewarm green tea, jello, skinny cow fudge pops, mashed potatoes and gravy, mashed banana, peanut butter, hot cereal like malto meal and high fiber hot cereal, carnation instant breakfasts, smoothies (premade kind)...then I graduated to rice - went to a thai restaurant and had rice with curry sauce and potatoes, had seafood chowder and canned soup, cheese cake and key lime pie and tv dinners with rice and mashed potatoes....it's getting better but I still have not had meat and long for a big steak! Now only 2 more to go!

[xavi1979]

nothing crunchy! you'll be so tempted but don't! i had all 4 of my impacted wisdoms out a little over a month ago, and if i wasn't making myself oatmeal or a protein shake, i was ordering indian and ethiopian food. mushy and delicious! just make sure to use that little water syringe thingie they give you to clean out the sockets because food will get stuck in there and it's not a pretty sight! good luck!

[destructionsrighthand626]

I just had my wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday. I am STARVING. The first day i didn't eat ANYTHING. About 2 AM the next day i tried eating pudding, got sick! I was barely able to keep down chicken broth later the 2nd day. I tried cream of potato soup the 2nd night, i could only eat the "cream". Friday I was able to eat some pasta for lunch then some spaghetti for dinner as well as SMALL pieces of garlic bread. Saturday was able to eat mashed potatoes, baked beans and devilled eggs. But what I am craving, is all the food I can't eat!!!!! If anyone has any DELICIOUS and FILLING recipes for food I CAN eat, that'd be helpful!!! I am used to eating snack sized portions periodically throughout my day, and well I've lost over 10lbs in the past 4 days because I haven't been able to eat much of anything! Please help. I am STARVING!!!

[Emme]

Not sure what you're craving specifically, other than crunchy solid foods with or without a straw but for filling...

Spinach or Cheese Souffle
Polenta
Pate
Gazpacho
Oatmeal - can make sweet or savory
Pastina cooked with parm and butter
Mashed Yam or Butternut Squash
Probably already doing em, but Protein Shakes - easy to amp up nutrition and cals with protein powder
Congee
Stewed Rhubarb then pureed
Cannelloni - soon once you can macerate the noodle with your tongue or even Ravioli well done
Some cookies if you suck them a bit (or soak in milk... dunk them Oreo's for 10 seconds) will dissolve in your mouth
Crackers with Dip if you hold them and let them dissolve to mush in your mouth... take ritz or the like and top with PB and J

[pharm_tech]

i just had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted 2 days ago and i am eating normal food and i have been since 4 hours after the surgery. i was told i can eat anything i want after the numbness wears off as long as i dont use a straw for 48 hours.

[BuTtErCuP81]

I'm glad I found this site. Although it did take me 2 days to read all the posts made. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. This is very informative for those who already had or is going to get their wisdom teeth extracted. I had all four of mine extracted on Friday so I'm on day 2 now. So far so good. I must say, my experience was alot better than I thought it would be. I was knocked out....(thank goodness) So I don't remember a thing at all. When I arrived home, first thing I did was eat.. and took the painkiller before the anesthetic wore out. For I was afraid of pain... and took the other antibiotics they provided. Kept changing the gauze to stop the bleeding. I had minimal bleeding. The only thing I regret doing was not icing as much as I should have the first 24hrs. I'm very swollen now. Plus I should have eaten more the first 24hrs because the next day after I tried the salt gargle I almost fainted because of no energy! Other than that...everything is good. Stopped the pain killers the next day.

[chewyv]

2 things to say...first is thank you to everyone who made researching this situation so easy...finding everything I needed in one place helped prep me and gave me good questions to ask the doc.

2nd is: thermal drinking cups you use for your car are perfect for getting liquid to the throat without having to suck or sip...just tip the head back and the liquid drops nicely in a narrow stream to your mouth. I had one for warm soup, one for water & one for smoothies since at first I was rinsing one to fill with the next liquid each time and it was a major hassle. So investing in 3 of them is just perfect.