Preparing for recovery after oral surgery is as important as the steps you take before surgery to ensure the best outcome. A key to comfortable, quick, and successful surgical site healing is good post oral surgery meals and beverages you consume during recovery. Continue reading to learn more about the importance of nutrition and how you can improve the healing process.
To learn more about wisdom tooth extraction and other oral surgical procedures, schedule an appointment with Trident General Dentistry.
The Importance Of Nutrition After Oral Surgery
Consuming nutritious foods and beverages after oral surgery helps you heal quickly and fight infection more effectively. Your body needs additional nutrients such as vitamins A and C, minerals such as zinc, and high-quality protein during the healing process.
Unfortunately, it is easy to overlook an essential nutritional need for healing, hydration. This leads to dehydration which reduces the water in your blood. The results are a reduced supply of oxygen and nutrients necessary for wound healing.
In addition, when dehydration accompanies consumption of a high-protein diet, which is the case with protein shakes people often drink during recovery, it can lead to ketone production and loss of body fluids. Therefore, it is vital that you increase water intake, especially if you drink protein shakes during oral surgery recovery.
Overcoming Loss of Appetite
A common side effect of most surgeries is losing your appetite. This is especially true for oral surgery since your mouth is sore for several days. Yet, it is essential to develop strategies to overcome this to heal as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Here are some tips to help you get the nutrition you need when you’ve lost your appetite:
-
Create your eating schedule before surgery. It’s easier to plan your meals before losing your appetite.
-
Begin each day with a healthy breakfast. This helps increase your appetite for the rest of the day.
-
Eat smaller, more frequent meals. It’s easier to consume smaller meals throughout the day while you’re healing.
-
Set a timer to remind you when to eat.
-
Record how much water you drink to ensure adequate hydration.
-
Use nutritional drinks to supplement your healthy diet.
-
Purchase the necessary soft foods you need for your recovery period.
7 Good Post Oral Surgery Meals
It is valuable to plan and prepare your meals before oral surgery. Here are some ideas for good post oral surgery meals:
-
Soups. Blended soups without bits or chunks of meat or vegetables are easy to prepare and eat after oral surgery. Tomato, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, and other vegetables can be blended into nutritious meals.
-
Yogurt. Greek yogurt is high in protein and other nutrients, such as calcium and zinc that promote healing.
-
Mashed potatoes. Potatoes, including sweet potatoes, are complete foods that contain all the necessary nutrients for successful healing including vitamin C, protein, and zinc.
-
Eggs. Your body needs protein to repair the surgical wound created by oral surgery. Eggs are a high-protein food that is easily chewed and digested after oral surgery.
-
Mashed bananas. In addition to healthy nutrients needed for healing such as vitamin C and potassium, bananas contain the fiber you need to enhance wound healing and maintain intestinal health.
-
Avocado. Consuming healthy fats can be challenging while recovering from oral surgery. You can remedy this by eating avocado, which has a texture making it easy to consume. Researchers also found it enhances collagen synthesis during wound healing and reduces inflammation for accelerated healing.
-
Oatmeal. Oatmeal is another soft and easily eaten food when you have a sore mouth. This grain is full of nutrition and includes a rich source of fiber to promote healing.
Schedule Appointment
To learn more about the services offered by Trident General Dentistry to help you maintain healthy teeth and gums for a bright smile contact us online to schedule an appointment.