What Can You Eat Following Dental Implant Surgery?

When you lose a tooth or even multiple teeth, the effects are devastating. While we’ve got them, we often take teeth for granted. But, when they’re gone, we quickly realise that our teeth don’t just help make our smiles look complete, they help us eat, aid our speaking ability, and provide structure to our facial features. 

Thankfully, replacing lost teeth has never been easier. Dental implants make it possible to have realistic, stable teeth again, meaning you can smile, chew, speak, and laugh confidently once more. 

But what exactly are dental implants? How will they be of benefit to you? And what do you need to know about the dental implant placement procedure and recovery process?

This guide will discuss everything you need to know about dental implants, including what you can eat after your procedure.

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are small titanium posts that are used to support natural-looking replacement teeth. A dental implant is placed through the gum and deep into your jaw, where it will fuse with the bone to create a tight bond. 

A dental implant replaces the tooth’s root giving your new smile more support than dentures or a bridge might do on their own. 

As great as dentures and bridges are, you may find that some food items can become difficult to chew. 

Because dental implants anchor deep into your jaw, your new teeth will have a lot of strength and support. No more worrying about what you can and can’t eat. 

What Are the Different Types of Dental Implants?

Dental implants are used in several ways. A single implant capped with a custom-made crown can replace one missing tooth. 

When you’ve lost multiple teeth, having lots of implants placed could get complicated and expensive. Using Same Day dental implants, or implanted dentures, we can replace as many as an entire row of teeth using a handful of strategically placed anchors. 

In more complex cases on your upper where the jawbone cannot support implants, we may use longer, angled zygomatic implants that access your cheekbones. These offer unparalleled support where traditional implants would fail. 

What Are the Benefits of Dental Implants?

The primary benefit of getting dental implants is restoring the look and function of your teeth. A complete, healthy-looking smile will fill you with confidence, while the ability to bite and chew whatever you like turns eating into an enjoyable experience again. 

But below the surface of your jaw, implants have other benefits. The loss of a tooth or even multiple teeth can have a knock-on effect on your jaw. Without teeth to support it, the bone starts to deteriorate. The result of this is that the area around your mouth starts to age prematurely, and any dentures soon become loose in your mouth. 

Dental implants help sustain the jaw and prevent deterioration. 

Not only that, but dental implants prevent neighbouring teeth from sliding into the gaps left by your missing teeth. 

What Does Dental Implant Surgery Involve?

Unless you’re having Same Day Implants, your dental implant placement may need to be done in several stages. Between each step, you may need to wait several months for your bone to heal. Sometimes, you may need to have a bone graft procedure first.

We’ll give you a temporary prosthesis to wear between stages, so you have a functional set of teeth. These are of a high standard, but your final teeth will be even better!

Because we’ll be accessing the jaw, we’ll use anaesthetic to minimise discomfort. 

Following the various steps of the dental implant process, you’ll need to be careful about what you eat while you’re recovering. 

What Can You Eat Following Dental Implant Surgery?

If you’re having traditional dental implants placed, you can look forward to being able to eat whatever you want once your new smile has bonded to your jaw. This means you could enjoy pork chops, steaks, jacket potatoes, crunchy fruit and vegetables, and much more. 

You will need to watch what you eat until your implants have fully settled in. This is particularly true immediately after your procedure. 

Immediately after implant surgery

You should avoid anything too hot for the first couple of days after your procedure and stick to liquids. Stick to cold soups, smoothies, juices, milkshakes, ice cream, and yoghourt. 

It’s essential to drink plenty of water and avoid using a straw as this may cause you to put pressure on your implant. 

During the first couple of days, resist the urge to skip meals. You should also avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. It’s also best not to eat anything spicy or sticky either. 

Two days after implant surgery 

After a couple of days, you can start to eat soft foods. For the next week or two, you can include foods that may need some chewing but that aren’t crunchy or cause you to put too much stress on the implant.

Some examples of foods you could eat include eggs, omelettes, pasta, cheese, mashed potatoes, and ground beef. 

Two weeks after implant surgery

After a couple of weeks, you can gradually start to introduce harder or chewy foods. This means meat, crunchy vegetables, and more. You may also find it beneficial to eat on the opposite side of your mouth while regaining your jaw’s strength. 

Although you’ll need to get through the recovery period, it’s definitely worth it. Your new dental implants will allow you to enjoy eating whatever you want. Your favourite foods will definitely be on the menu once your new teeth have settled in. 

Dental Implants at Love Teeth

Dental implants are truly life-changing. They don’t just give you a new sense of confidence, they restore your ability to eat whatever you want. 

At Love Teeth, we’re here to help you find your perfect smile, regain lost confidence, and support you throughout the recovery process. 

To learn more about the fantastic benefits of dental implants and to find out whether they’re right for you, call us today to make an appointment at our Cheam, Chessington, Stonecot, or Sutton clinic.