Posted

 at Riverside Dental Group.

Questions

Q1. True or false – Soft foods should be the rule of thumb following dental surgery.

Q2. True or false – Cold foods can help reduce swelling.

Q3. True or false – Hot foods aid in faster healing.

Answers

A1. TRUE – Avoiding hard or sharp foods probably seems fairly obvious. You want to avoid chewing for at least a day or to. Even if you only received a local anesthetic during your dental procedure, there will be some residual numbness. Any vigorous chewing could present a risk for biting and injuring your cheeks, tongue, and/or gum tissues. Food debris can also get stuck in the surgical area, putting you at a higher risk for infection.

A2. TRUE – The good news is that many cold foods are also soft foods. Ice cream, popsicles, frozen yogurt, and jell-o are not only delicious and comforting, but they can help to reduce the natural inflammation that generally occurs in the first 24 hours or so after dental surgery. Cold creates constriction in your blood vessels. You can also reduce swelling by applying an ice pack to your cheeks near the surgery site for 20 minute intervals.

A3. FALSE – Your Riverside general dentists may recommend that you apply heat instead of cold to the affected area within the first day after surgery. However, while it’s true that heat allows blood vessels to enlarge, promoting fluid drainage, hot foods can be dangerous in that window where you may still be numb and can’t tell how hot is too hot. To be safe, avoid highly heated foods right after dental surgery.

Dental Surgery from Riverside General Dentists

If you are in need of an extraction or consultation for any dental needs, schedule an appointment with your Riverside general dentists in our 92504 dentist office. You can contact us by calling (951) 689-5031. We welcome patients from Riverside and all neighboring communities.