Recipes for Soft Foods after Oral Surgery
It is best to start off by eating soft foods after having oral surgery such as a dental implant placement or wisdom teeth removal. Below are some recipes that may be helpful for planning and cooking meals after surgery. In general, avoid spicy foods, carbonated beverages, and hard/crunchy foods in the early phase of healing.
- Smoothie
- Start with 1 cup of frozen banana and berries
- Add your choice of protein powder
- Tablespoon of nut butter
- ½ cup of liquid (add more as needed)
- Blend
- Vegetable Soup
- Mince 3 garlic
- Chop half an onion, one zucchini, one carrot, one potato, can of diced tomatoes,
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat
- Sauté onions and garlic on until they soften
- Add in zucchini, carrots, and potato, saute for another 3 minutes
- Add in canned tomatoes and desired amount of vegetable or chicken broth
- Bring to a boil and then bring down to a simmer
- Cook until vegetables are very soft
- Season with salt/peper
- Egg/oatmeal
- Bring 2/3 cups of water to a boil
- Lower the heat and then add 1/3 cup of rolled oats with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds.
- Cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Add the egg and stir continuously.
- Turn off heat, cover pot and let the oatmeal sit for about 5 minutes before eating.
- Pumpkin porridge
- Cut kabocha squash into quadrants and remove seeds with spoon
- Steam the kabocha squash until it is tender and soft
- Cool down the kabocha squash then remove the green skin from squash
- Chop squash into smaller pieces
- In a blender, mix the kabocha squash, 3 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of sweetener and pinch of salt
- Pour blended mix in a saucepan and boil over medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Continue stiring to avoid burning.
- Mix ¼ cup of sweet rice flower and 3 tablespoons of water, should become a sticky texture.
- Slowly pour rice flour mixture into porridge, stir consistently.
- Simmer porridge over low heat for about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and enjoy.
- Ricotta Scramble Eggs
- Whisk 2 eggs and ½ cup of milk
- Heat nonstick skillet at medium heat and add eggs. Stir the eggs gently
- When eggs look about cooked, add in ½ cup of room temperature ricotta cheese.
- Add salt/pepper and optional chives.
Bleeding after Oral Surgery
Bleeding is an inevitable side effect from having oral surgery. Many patients worry about complications from bleeding after surgery- especially later at home. The key to a quick and safe recovery is to be prepared to deal with any potential bleeding after your surgery. Below are several tips to control and avoid bleeding complications.
Tip #1 – Inform your surgeon of any health conditions that could cause you to have problems with blood clotting. These conditions may include Hemophilia (A, B), Von Willebrand Factor Deficiency, Factor (V, VII, X, XI) deficiency, Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, or other blood clotting disorder.
Tip #2 – Inform your surgeon of any blood thinners you may be taking for any medical conditions. There are many types of blood thinners, and some common drugs include Warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Pradaxa, Plavix, and Aspirin. Do not ever stop your blood thinner unless directed to by your doctor. If it is safe to stop your blood thinner, your surgeon may instruct you to do so for a day or two prior to your surgery.
Tip #3 – Apply pressure! The best possible method to stop bleeding is to apply pressure. In the mouth, this usually means biting down on gauze for 20-30 minutes applying firm, even pressure to the wound. The normal human clotting time is 7-9 minutes, so 20-30 minutes of pressure should be enough time to slow the bleeding down. If gauze by itself does not do the trick, place a dry tea bag onto the bleeding area and then bite down on some more gauze. Repeat as necessary.
Tip #4 – Be gentle. Avoid spitting, rigorous swishing, strenuous exercise, or heavy lifting. Eat soft foods that do not require excessive chewing. Abstain from using a straw. The idea is to make sure the blood clot that forms is not disturbed through these activities.
Tip #5 – Recognize a true bleeding emergency. Sometimes there are real bleeding emergencies that need to be addressed right away. Look out for are bright, red, continuous stream of blood coming from the surgical site that does not stop after multiple rounds of pressure. The gauze may be soaked rather quickly within seconds after placement. If you are concerned about bleeding that is brisk and persistent, call your surgeon right away. In the event that you are not able to reach your surgeon, present to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible
Expose and Bond Procedure
Orthodontic treatment typically involves placement of brackets on to teeth and moving them into alignment. Sometimes a tooth may be stuck or buried underneath the gums and require surgery to place a bracket on the tooth to pull it into place over time. This procedure is called an expose and bond because the tooth is first exposed by an incision through the gums, and then a bracket is bonded or glued on to the tooth. During this process, bone covering the tooth may also be removed. Once the bracket is connected to the tooth, a chain is connected from the bracket and secured to a nearby tooth or archwire. The incision is usually closed and only the chain emerges from the surgery site. Over time, the orthodontist expertly places traction on the wire and slowly pulls the tooth into the appropriate space.
An expose and bond procedure is very predictable, especially if the tooth is not fully grown yet. The ideal time to move a tooth is when most of the tooth is formed but the end or apex is not fully mature. This can be evaluated through routine dental x-rays. The length of time for the tooth to settle in the desired position varies upon many factors such as the size of the tooth, degree of impaction, amount of surrounding bone, and maturity of the tooth. The most common tooth that requires an expose and bond procedure is the upper canine teeth (#6 and 11).
Surgery may be performed with local anesthesia or under general anesthesia and usually takes 45 – 60 minutes. Because surgery involves incisions, patients can expect some degree of soreness and swelling. A small amount of bleeding over the first day may occur as well. For pain control, the combination of Ibuprofen and Tylenol seems to work well. In select cases, a stronger pain medication such as hydrocodone or norco may be prescribed. Despite having a chain emerging from the surgical site, there are no dietary restrictions. We simply recommend chewing on the other side of the mouth as much as possible and avoid putting any stress on the chain. Any stitches that are placed around the surgical site typically are self dissolving.