Tooth extractions

Keep food soft

Use the plastic-fork test: food should be easy to cut with the side of a plastic fork. Choose cool or lukewarm foods first, and chew away from the surgical site. Your doctor decides when you can return to firmer foods.

Foods to choose

• Yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, or smooth applesauce.
• Scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soft pasta, or well-cooked vegetables.
• Smooth, seed-free protein shakes or smoothies, taken from a cup or with a spoon.
• Blended soup that is warm, not hot; soft flaked fish when your diet stage allows it.

Foods and drinks to avoid

• Straws; seeds, nuts, popcorn, chips, and granola.
• Small grains such as rice or quinoa that can lodge in the surgical site.
• Crusty bread, chewy meat, and sticky or hard foods.
• Very hot foods during the first day; spicy or acidic foods if they sting.
• Alcohol, especially with pain medicine, and carbonated drinks during the first days.

Make meals support healing

Drink water regularly and include protein. Tell us if you have diabetes, food restrictions, or trouble eating enough so we can adapt your plan. Do not start supplements without checking with your care team.