What to eat after wisdom teeth removal
Eat soft or liquid food for a few days and chew on the other side of your mouth. Nothing hot for the first 24 hours, so let soup and tea cool right down, and no alcohol. Things like yogurt, mashed potato, scrambled eggs, porridge, smoothies and cooled soup are easy.
Soft food for a few days, and what to leave until it heals.
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- A few daysof soft or liquid food
- 24 hoursnothing hot
- Other sidechew away from the socket
- Salt waterafter meals, from day two
Easy things to eat
- Yogurt, custard or rice pudding
- Mashed potato, or mashed vegetables
- Scrambled eggs
- Porridge, made soft
- Smoothies
- Soup, cooled down
- Pasta, cooked soft
Chew on the other side, and take small mouthfuls.
Check what your removal involves
Four quick taps. You see the likely type of removal, the likely cost, the tax relief and your recovery time. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want an assessment.
Say one lower wisdom tooth is stuck under the gum: that's usually a surgical removal, typically €250 to €420 at Irish practices, plus €50 to €83 for the x-ray, with 20% tax relief back.
How this is worked out
The likely type of removal comes from what you tell us: a tooth that's stuck under the gum, or partly through in the lower jaw, usually needs a small cut in the gum; one that's through and easy to reach usually comes out whole. The prices are the range Irish dental practices publish for a wisdom tooth, per tooth, plus a panoramic x-ray and, if you pick it, IV sedation. Tax relief is 20% of the removal when it's a surgical extraction of an impacted wisdom tooth. The recovery times are the HSE's. It's a guide to plan with, never a diagnosis or a quote: the dentist decides after an examination and an x-ray.
What to leave for now
- Hot drinks and hot food for the first 24 hours.
- Alcohol: it can affect healing.
- Smoking: it can affect healing too.
- Crunchy or hard food near the socket until it's healed.
After eating
From the day after, rinse gently with warm salt water or an antiseptic mouthwash, as your dentist recommends, especially after meals.
Questions people ask
What can I eat after wisdom teeth removal?
Soft or liquid food for a few days: yogurt, mashed potato, scrambled eggs, porridge, smoothies, cooled soup.
When can I have a hot drink?
Not for the first 24 hours.
When can I eat normally?
Start with soft food for a few days, chewing on the other side, and build up as it heals. Ask your dentist if you're not sure.
Check what your removal involves
Four taps to the likely type, cost and recovery, then one Dental Council registered dentist or oral surgeon who covers your county rings you.