What Can You Eat and Drink After All-on-4 Surgery?

Thanks to All-on-4 surgery, you can often get new teeth on the same day that your implants are placed. However, that doesn’t change the fact that your mouth will need time to recover after the procedure. While your mouth is healing, you’ll need to be particularly careful about what you’re eating and drinking. Here is what you can expect your diet to look like during All-on-4 recovery.

First Two Weeks: Liquids Only

Your mouth, jaw, and throat will be sore for up to two weeks after your surgery. The discomfort will gradually subside, but in the meantime, chewing will be very difficult. As such, you’ll need to stick to an all-liquid diet during this period.

For the first couple of days, drink only cool liquid. Anything hot or spicy should be avoided until day three or four of your recovery. Make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water as well as fluids that are high in nutrition. Remember not to use a straw, as this could dislodge the protective blood clots around the implant sites and delay healing.

Good choices for an all-liquid diet include fruit juices, coffee, beef or chicken broth, milk, protein shakes, smoothies, gelatin, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. Your dentist can give you additional suggestions before your surgery so that you can stock up ahead of time.

For at Least Three Months: Soft Foods

Once the soreness in your mouth has faded, you should be ready to move from an all-liquid diet to soft foods. You still need to be gentle with your implants, as they need more time to form a strong bond with the jawbone. Until this process – known as osseointegration – is complete, you need to avoid any hard, chewy, or crunchy foods.

Here’s an example of a healthy diet you can enjoy during this phase of your recovery:

• Fruits and Vegetables: Bananas and watermelons are soft enough to enjoy without prior preparation. You can also eat mashed fruits and vegetables, with applesauce being a good example. Also, many vegetables will be soft enough to enjoy after you’ve cooked or baked them.
• Bread, Pasta, and Grains: You can enjoy a wide variety of soft bread and cooked pasta. Muffins, pancakes, and oatmeal are often good options for breakfast.
• Protein: Cheese, eggs, chili, hummus, soft tofu, and yogurt are all potential sources of protein that won’t put too much stress on your implant posts.

Once your recovery is complete, you’ll be able to eat and drink whatever you want thanks to your new smile supported by All-on-4 implants. Until then, though, it’s important to treat your mouth with care. Remember that you can always reach out to your dentist if you have any doubts about what you can consume during the healing process.

About Souris Valley Dental Group

Here at Souris Valley Dental Group, we have multiple dental experts in a single location to bring your family the comprehensive care and attention they need to protect their smiles. Our team can perform the entire dental implant procedure in-house so that you don’t need to go visit a separate specialist across town. To schedule a consultation and learn more about the All-on-4 procedure, visit our website or call (701) 852-5595.