Getting dental implants is an investment in your oral health and smile. While you may be looking forward to enjoying your favourite foods again, there are some you should avoid during the healing process to ensure a successful outcome after dental implant surgery.   

Contact our team at Dental Spot if you are considering getting dental implants and looking for a dental consultation near you. Our skilled dental professionals will evaluate your oral and overall health, verifying that you are a candidate for dental implant surgery, and address your questions and concerns about the procedure, including foods to avoid after a dental implant.  

Understanding Dental Implants

To understand dental implants, contact a dentist that offers a consultation. At Dental Spot, we listen to your concerns and take care of you every step of the way, from the initial consultation to the fitting of your implant crown, so that you can achieve your smile and oral health goals.    

Dental implants are a permanent solution for missing teeth. They look and perform like normal teeth and replace about 72% of your normal chewing function after three months post-surgery when immediately loaded, restoring your ability to chew normally.  

Immediate placement and immediate loading have become popular in implant dentistry because patients’ demands for immediate satisfaction and time-saving procedures have increased. Your dentist can go over your dental implant surgery options at your consultation.   

The dental implant is a small post surgically placed in your jawbone and functions as the new tooth root. It fuses with your jawbone, providing an anchor for the dental restoration. Once the site has healed, your dentist adds an abutment that connects the restoration and the dental implant. This involves another minor dental implant surgery because your dentist must reopen the wound to attach the abutment.

It takes about two weeks for the area to heal, and then your custom restoration is fitted. 

Why Healing Time is Necessary?

Although dental implant surgery is minimally invasive, it still requires a healing period for a successful outcome. In traditional dental implant surgery, it can take up to six months for the dental implant to fuse with your jawbone and stabilise.  

The risk of infection is elevated immediately following dental implant surgery, so you must follow your dentist’s post-surgery instructions, including foods to avoid after a dental implant. 

Foods to Avoid After a Dental Implant 

Immediately following dental implant surgery, your gums will be tender and swollen. For the first 10-14 days following your dental implant surgery, it is best to follow a non-chew diet of high-protein foods like scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, yoghurt and smoothies to aid your recovery. 

Because your dental implants  were inserted through tiny incisions in your gums, it is important to protect them by avoiding foods that are: 

• Alcoholic because alcohol interferes with the fusing process, increasing the likelihood of dental implant failure 
• Acidic like oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes and carbonated drinks because they can slow the healing process  
• Crunchy like nuts, popcorn, biscuits, seeds, crisps, carrots and apples as they can get stuck in the wound and prevent it from healing, or moving the implant 
• Chewy foods like crusty bread and steak as they can dislodge the implant
• Hot soups, coffee and tea that can cause the titanium implant to heat up, burning the surrounding cells and loosening the implant 
• Nutrionally lacking foods like ice-cream
• Spicy foods like hot salsa, curries and hot peppers that can irritate the surgical site, hindering the healing process 
• Sticky caramels and chewing gum that can dislodge the implant before fusing occurs
• Sugary foods that encourage bacteria resulting in an infection 

Two weeks following your dental implant surgery, you will be able to enjoy more of your favourite foods. However, to prolong the lifespan of your implant, you should limit the following:   

• Pigmented foods that can stain your dental implants like coffee and red wine 
• Sugary food and drinks because they increase the number of oral bacteria in your mouth, placing your implants at risk of failure
• Alcoholic beverages are high in carbs and sugar that can lead to an infection if you don’t maintain regular professional hygiene cleanings and exams 

Get a Consultation at Your Local Dental Clinic

Everyone wants a pearly white smile without missing or damaged teeth which is why dental implant surgery can be life-changing. Before booking your surgery, it is important to have a consultation at your local clinic to make sure you are a candidate for the procedure.  

During your dental implant consultation at Dental Spot, you can expect a comprehensive oral examination and  X-rays to ensure you have enough bone density to support dental implants.  

After the examination, your dentist will discuss your treatment options and outline a treatment plan that includes. 

• How long the treatment takes
• How many appointments are necessary
• Sedation options
• Recovery period 
• Aftercare instructions such as what to eat and what foods to avoid after a dental implant  

If you are self-conscious about a gap in your teeth and are considering dental implant surgery, contact Dental Spot on (02) 9158 6115 to arrange your consultation and begin your journey to a rejuvenated smile. 

Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

References

Short-term follow-up of masticatory adaptation after rehabilitation with an immediately loaded implant-supported prosthesis: a pilot assessment
https://journalimplantdent.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40729-017-0070-x

Implant failure rate and the prevalence of associated risk factors: a 6-year retrospective observational survey
https://www.jomos.org/articles/mbcb/full_html/2022/02/mbcb210065/mbcb210065.html