Depending upon what type of oral surgery you are having performed, it may be necessary to abstain from eating the night before. If you are allowed to eat the day of your surgery, it is a good idea to limit yourself to clear fluids such as broth, juice, or tea. Following your surgery, you may need to modify the consistency of foods you eat to allow for any wounds to effectively heal. For more significant oral surgeries, patients may have to begin with a liquid diet before progressing to soft or pureed foods before they can finally resume their normal eating habits.

Following your oral surgery, it is important to maintain proper nutrition for optimal healing to occur. It may also be helpful to have several smaller meals that consist of foods that are easy to mash, chop, ground, moisten, or puree.

Here are some examples of easy to make soft foods that you can likely eat following your surgery.

• Applesauce
• Custard/Pudding
• Eggs (soft boiled, scramble, etc.)
• Fish
• Fruits and fresh cooked vegetables (baked apples, bananas, yams, cooked potatoes, cooked carrots, beets, spinach, etc.).
• Fruit smoothies/protein shakes
• Hearty soups (lentil, cream of asparagus, split pea, minestrone)
• Herbal Tea
• Ice cream
• Jell-O
• Juices (Apple, Cranberry, Grape)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Milkshakes
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Popsicles
• Rice/Cream of Rice
• Soft fruits (Berries, Banana, banana, Canned Pears or Canned Peaches, Papaya)
• Soups with soft meat or soft vegetables.
• Tofu
• Yogurt

Foods to Avoid

As important as it is to eat the right foods following your oral surgery, it is just as important to be aware of what type of foods you need to avoid.

To assist in your recovery process, be sure to avoid the following for at least one week following your surgery:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Citrus Juice
• Crusty breads, cookies, bagels
• Foods that are difficult to chew or are more likely to become stuck in the surgical sites
• Popcorn, potato chips, pretzels
• Spicy Foods or foods containing pepper, onion, and/or tomatoes
• Thick grains

In addition to avoiding these foods, it is also important for patients to avoid using a straw following oral surgery, as doing so can result in dry sockets.

Maintaining Healthy Eating Habits

To ensure you have a speedy recovery following your oral surgery, be sure you take the time to have foods available that will help you heal faster and avoid causing additional issues. Patients who take the time to prepare their meals following surgery typically have better results.

To continue enjoying good oral health and avoiding future oral health issues and the need for oral surgery, it is critical to eat a balanced diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, and starches. To facilitate the healing process, it is especially important to get adequate amounts of protein. For patients who are still restricted to liquids, an easy way to get additional protein is to add protein powder to your smoothie. Additional soft-foods that contain protein include lean beef, soft fish, chicken, tofu, and scrambled eggs.

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