How to Still Enjoy Thanksgiving While Your Mouth Is Recovering From Implants

Dental implants can give your mouth and smile a whole new life which is something that’s definitely worth bragging about. Before you let the bragging begin, you need to give your gums plenty of time to heal after the implant has been placed and before we put the crown on top. Because this is one of the most important steps of the process, we encourage patients to be careful when they are chewing on that side so that food doesn’t get stuck and so that the gums have plenty of time to heal. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you may be wondering how you can still enjoy your dinner if you are recovering from dental implant surgery. Luckily, we have a few tips for you.

Watch The Pecans

Pecan pie and pecan covered sweet potatoes may be a popular hit at your Thanksgiving table, but those crunchy nuts aren’t going to do your mouth any favors while you’re recovering from dental implants. Try to avoid these nuts and other ones and instead, enjoy a nice slice of pumpkin pie which is both better for you (overall) and doesn’t have anything that can disrupt the healing process.

Be Careful With the Turkey

Even though turkey is a lean meat that’s high in protein and good for you, unless it’s really soft and tender, chewing meat can be hard on your jaw and your incision site. When you are choosing some turkey meat to eat, try to cut it up into tiny pieces and make sure that it is tender enough that it almost breaks itself apart.

Alcohol

Depending on how far into the recovery process you are, Dr. Holbrook may recommend that you avoid alcohol for a few days or even a week after surgery because it’s a blood thinner. Blood thinners may slow down the healing process and cause your mouth to bleed a little bit longer than it should.

The great thing about Thanksgiving (other than family and friends) is that a lot of the foods are easy to chew like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread rolls, and casseroles. Use the tips in this article to help speed up your mouth’s recovery process after dental implant surgery.

To learn more recovery tips or to schedule your next appointment, contact our Albuquerque office at (505) 881-1159.