Whenever you ask someone what the worst part about wisdom teeth surgery was, many won’t say it was the surgery itself. You’ll get a lot of responses about the recovery process and more specifically, the inability to eat the usual favorite foods—thick hamburgers, crunchy chips, anything that requires extensive chewing. But it varies with each person. I had a friend who said they ate KFC chicken the next day with no problem. Others, like myself, didn’t return to a fully normal diet for another two weeks! And let me tell you, those two weeks were surprisingly very difficult (it made me realize I snack so often!!!).
So for those of you who plan to have wisdom teeth extracted anytime soon, don’t worry! Here are tried and true post wisdom teeth surgery friendly foods/snacks for your wisdom teeth recovery process.
1. Mac & Cheese (Or your choice of plain pasta!)
This was a game-changer. Any pasta will do, but my personal favorite during my two-week recovery process was mac & cheese! Make sure to give your food, in general, time to cool a bit, and it helps to cut it up in smaller pieces.
2. Banana
Mashed banana was one of my favorite snacks. I was getting really tired of Jell-O, and I turned to mashed bananas to give me energy so that I could last between meals. Once mashed, the banana will be much easier to swallow safely!
3. Pancakes
Once I started to feel comfortable chewing with my front teeth, I was able to incorporate soft foods like pancakes! I definitely advise cutting it up as small as you can before you eat so that your front teeth don’t get fatigued from a lot of chewing.
4. Clam chowder
This was really good for me because this was one of the only foods that filled me up. Soup is always an option when recovering from wisdom teeth surgery, but clam chowder is a heavier meal that won’t leave your hunger unsatisfied.
5. Baby food snacks!
I know what you’re thinking!! But hey, you do what you gotta do to reserve your body’s strength! I was feeling weak between meals, and I had very limited snack options, so baby food snacks ended up saving my energy. For about a week, I couldn’t eat anything that required chewing; I could barely open my mouth, and my front teeth couldn’t even handle minimal chewing yet. Baby food snacks are made for easy consumption, so I relied on that! These snacks easily melt in your mouth for safe swallowing. I highly suggest the Gerber Puff Souffles in the banana flavor or the Gerber Lil’ Crunchies with Mild Cheddar.
I definitely underestimated the physical recovery process of wisdom teeth surgery, but with research and patience, I fully recovered! If your wisdom teeth surgery is coming up soon, I hope this list prepares you and gives you more ideas for a post wisdom teeth surgery friendly diet!