Sunny days, time at the pool or beach, get-togethers with friends, travel to fun places. There are plenty of reasons to love summer! Another favorite part of this season is the fresh, delectable food. However, if you’ve just recently had dental implants placed, you are not yet ready to dive into the summer smorgasbord. What foods are okay to have now, and which foods will need to wait until you’ve healed? Will you be able to enjoy your summer favorites eventually with dental implants? Keep reading to find out!
Good Summer Foods Soon After Dental Implant Surgery
For at least a couple of weeks after receiving your dental implant posts, you need to be gentle with your mouth. As a result, you must stick with softer foods. Fortunately, there are plenty of seasonal options that are delicious, nutritious, and helpful for better healing.
Here are some of the summer foods you can have:
- Avocados.
- Bananas.
- Smoothies or “nice cream.”
- Baked beans.
Bad Summer Foods Soon After Dental Implant Surgery
You shouldn’t have hard, crunchy foods because you don’t want to harm the soft, still healing gum tissue. You also should stay away from substances that could encourage bad bacterial growth in your mouth; otherwise, you could develop a gum infection. In addition, using a straw can lead to complications in the healing process.
Here are more specific examples of what you shouldn’t have immediately after your implant placement surgery in the summertime:
- Nuts, apples, or chips, which could puncture or press against the tender gums.
- Hot dogs, which contain processed saturated fat and create fuel for infection-causing bacteria.
- Corn on the cob, which places immense pressure on the bite when it needs rest to heal.
- Sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, and juice, which enable harmful oral bacteria to thrive.
Enjoying Summer Foods with Dental Implants
Thankfully, these restrictions don’t last long. Once your dental implants have fully integrated and fused to the jawbone, you’re basically free to eat whatever you’d like and feel your bite can tolerate. This means that those once “off-limits” summer foods can go back on the menu!
Plus, you can also enjoy foods that you might not have been able to eat before with traditional dentures, such as juicy steak, raw carrots, salad, and more.
Although the dental implant process requires a brief time when you need to avoid certain foods, it is well worth this investment. That way, you can bask in the warm season and have all your favorite foods for many summers ahead.
About the Practice
Williamsburg Dental proudly offers dental implants to patients in need of permanent tooth replacement. We perform the entire process, including the placement procedure, in our six locations throughout Lincoln, and our dentists have undergone years of training and experience. Are you interested in learning more about dental implants? Contact one of our offices to set an appointment with our helpful team.