15 Soft Foods to Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal

For the first day after wisdom tooth removal, stick to cool liquids and soft foods that need little or no chewing. Add soft-chew foods as chewing gets easier, but save hard, crunchy foods for after the first week.

Soft, lukewarm foods help protect the blood clot in each socket. When a blood clot doesn’t form or comes out too early, it can lead to a painful but treatable condition called dry socket.

15 Soft Foods to Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Protein is important for healing, so choose a soft protein food for most meals. If you’re preparing for wisdom teeth removal, stock up on these foods.

Foods 1 to 11 need little or no chewing. Foods 12 to 15 should wait until you can chew comfortably.

Use a cup or spoon instead of the pictured straws for the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, or longer if your surgeon advises.

1. Broths

Lukewarm broth gives you fluids and a little salt on the first day. Sip it from a mug.

2. Blended Soups

Blend soups until they’re completely smooth and serve them lukewarm.

3. Smoothies

Load smoothies with fruit, yogurt, and milk. Leave out seeds and avoid drinking them through a straw.

4. Protein Shakes

A shake is a fast way to get protein when chewing hurts. Drink it from a cup, not a straw.

5. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt. It’s also cool and smooth.

6. Applesauce

Get unsweetened applesauce and chill it before eating.

7. Jello and Pudding

Jello and pudding don’t need to be chewed, and they feel cool on a sore mouth.

8. Mashed Potatoes

It won’t take many bites of mashed potatoes to fill you up.

9. Mashed Bananas

Choose bananas ripe enough to mash smooth with a fork. They have potassium and fiber.

10. Avocado

Mash avocado and eat it without tortilla chips. It adds healthy fats and calories.

11. Hummus

Choose smooth hummus and eat it with a spoon instead of pita chips.

12. Scrambled Eggs

Soft and high in protein, scrambled eggs are also quick to make. Start eating them around the second day after surgery.

13. Oatmeal

Whether it’s instant or from scratch, cook the oatmeal well. Start eating it around the second or third day.

14. Well-Cooked Pasta

Choose small shapes, cook them well past al dente and go for a mild sauce instead of tomato. Start eating pasta around the second or third day.

15. Salmon

Baked or poached salmon should flake apart with a fork, and it adds protein. Start eating it around the second or third day.

How Soon Can I Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Sip and spoon soft foods as soon as you’re able. From there, follow your surgeon’s advice on when to add other foods. Use the days below as a guide, not a schedule.

The First 24 Hours

On the first day, there are a few rules to follow:

• You’ll have numb lips and cheeks for a few hours from the local anesthetic, so don’t chew anything until you have feeling in your mouth again. Otherwise, you may bite your cheek or lip.
• Stick to foods that are cool or lukewarm and need little to no chewing. Chew on the opposite side of your mouth from where you had surgery.
• Drink from a glass or a cup, not a straw.

Days 2 and 3

It’s normal to have a swollen jaw and puffy cheeks at this point. They’ll go down with time. Add soft-chew foods such as eggs, oatmeal, and soft cooked pasta.

Unless your surgeon tells you otherwise, don’t rinse or spit for the first 24 hours. Then rinse gently with warm salt water after meals, and let it drain out of your mouth without spitting hard.

Days 4 to 7

As chewing gets easier, add foods with more texture, such as soft cooked vegetables. Dissolvable stitches may come loose, which is normal. They’ll dissolve on their own.

After the First Week

Hard and crunchy foods come last. According to the National Library of Medicine, you should avoid them for 1 week after surgery.² When you start eating them again, go slow and back off if chewing hurts.

It can take several weeks for your mouth to fully heal. After a single, simple extraction, see when you can eat solid foods again.

Foods to Avoid After Wisdom Teeth Removal

Some foods get stuck in the sockets, irritate the wound or pull at the clot. Skip them while you heal to help prevent dry socket.

Use a cup or spoon instead of the pictured straw for the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, or longer if your surgeon advises.

Hard or Difficult-to-Chew Foods

Chips, crusty bread, tough meats, and hard or chewy candy can irritate the extraction site, so save them until after the first week.

Grains and Seeds

Small, hard bits of these foods can get stuck around the extraction site:

• Seeds (sesame seeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds)
• Popcorn and nuts
• Granola or other crunchy cereals

Acidic and Spicy Foods

These foods might irritate your gums as they’re healing:

• Citrus fruits and juices
• Tomatoes and tomato-based sauces
• Hot sauce and chili peppers
• Soda and sparkling water

Hot Foods and Drinks

Let hot foods and drinks (like soup, coffee, and tea) cool to lukewarm for the first few days. Heat can irritate the extraction site.

Straws and Suction

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends avoiding straws for the first 24-48 hours after tooth extraction.⁴ The suction might dislodge the blood clot and trigger dry socket. If your dentist or oral surgeon says to avoid straws for longer, follow that.

Alcoholic Beverages

Avoid alcohol while you recover. It can make pain relievers less effective or more harmful, even over-the-counter ones, and may slow your healing.

Never drink alcohol if you’re taking a prescription opioid for pain. Drinking can increase your risk of a potentially deadly opioid overdose.

Can I Eat Fish or Pasta After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

If you’re not sure a food is safe, ask yourself three questions: Is it soft? Is it lukewarm? Can it get stuck in the extraction site?

• Fish and salmon: Yes, starting around day two or three. Bake or poach the fish until it flakes easily.
• Shrimp and sushi: Wait at least a week. Shrimp can be tough to chew, and sushi often contains seeds.
• Pho and ramen: Yes, once the broth is lukewarm and mild. Add very soft noodles when chewing is comfortable, and skip tough or crunchy toppings. Spoon the broth rather than slurping it.
• Pasta and lasagna: Yes, starting around day two or three, if the pasta is very soft and the sauce is mild, like alfredo.
• Chicken nuggets and other fried foods: Wait at least a week. The crispy coating can get stuck in the extraction site.
• Ice cream: Yes, from day one. Ditch the cone and crunchy mix-ins like cookies.

Other Healing Tips During Recovery

A few habits between meals protect the clot and ease pain and swelling:

• Avoid tobacco for at least the first few days. Smokers are more likely to get dry socket. A 2022 systematic review found that about 13% of smokers developed dry socket after tooth extraction, compared to about 4% of nonsmokers.⁷
• Apply an ice pack to your cheeks for 10-20 minutes at a time for the first 24-72 hours.
• Don’t drive for at least 24 hours after IV sedation or 48 hours after general anesthesia, or longer if your surgeon says so. Don’t drive while you’re taking opioid pain medicine or feel drowsy or dizzy.

When to See a Dentist

Call the dentist or oral surgeon who removed your teeth if pain gets worse instead of better after the first few days. Dry socket follows 1 to 5% of routine extractions, and rates of 30% or more have been reported after surgical wisdom tooth removal.⁹

Signs of Dry Socket

Dry socket usually starts 1 to 3 days after surgery. Watch for:

• Severe pain your pain medicine doesn’t control
• Pain spreading toward your ear, eye, temple or neck on that side
• An empty-looking socket where the blood clot should be
• Bad breath or a bad taste that doesn’t go away

Your dentist can clean the socket and place a medicated dressing, which may need changing.

Call Your Dentist or Oral Surgeon If You Notice

• Bleeding that doesn’t stop after you bite firmly on gauze for at least 10 minutes.⁸
• A fever or chills.
• Swelling or pain that is severe, keeps getting worse after the first 3 days, or gets worse again after improving.
• Pus, or a salty or bad taste that doesn’t go away.
• Numbness in your lip, chin or tongue that lasts after the anesthetic should have worn off. It’s usually temporary, but your surgeon should check it.

If you have a fever with facial swelling and can’t reach your dentist or oral surgeon right away, go to the emergency room.

Call 911 for These Symptoms

Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for heavy bleeding from your mouth that won’t stop with firm pressure, or for any of these symptoms:

• Trouble breathing
• Swelling that spreads quickly under your tongue or into your neck
• Swelling that spreads toward your eye, makes it hard to open your eye or changes your vision
• Not being able to swallow your saliva at all