Tooth extraction - what foods you can eat?

[Deleted User] · 18/11/14 - 17:23

I just had a tooth pulled out four hours ago and my mouth is still filling up with blood and saliva and there's some minor pain, I'm not too bothered about this but I'm absolutely starving.

I'm really craving a chinese but would that be a bad idea? Please tell me I'm not supposed to just live on soups and soft foods for the next 24 hours?

TelevisionUser · 18/11/14 - 17:28

Recently, I had to live off soups and pot noodles for the best part of a week because of a very painful wisdom tooth infection. For what it's worth, my advice is to choose different varieties so that you don't get too bored. Hope that helps.

Caxton · 18/11/14 - 17:38

It would be in your own interests to eat soft foods for 24 hours and do no eat or drink at too high a temperature as this will not help the blood to clot

MartinPickering · 18/11/14 - 17:48

Yoghurt with honey.

Relly · 18/11/14 - 17:49

Soft foods? How about Mushroom Foo Yung then? That's Chinese (well, they sell it in my local Chinese chippy) and soft. Damn. I want one now.

stvn758 · 18/11/14 - 17:55

Seriously you don't want to start stuffing food down your throat, I haven't had it but dry socket is meant to be the most painful thing ever. I had a big meal before I had my tooth out so I wouldn't succumb to temptation.

If you get food in the socket you may have to go back to the dentist and have it cleaned out again.

Relly · 18/11/14 - 17:57

stvn758 wrote: »

Seriously you don't want to start stuffing food down your throat, I haven't had it but dry socket is meant to be the most painful thing ever. I had a big meal before I had my tooth out so I wouldn't succumb to temptation.

If you get food in the socket you may have to go back to the dentist and have it cleaned out again.

Ah right. Point taken.

Good luck, Shadow - you'll enjoy your Chinese even more tomorrow.

Rae_Roo · 18/11/14 - 19:34

stvn758 wrote: »

Seriously you don't want to start stuffing food down your throat, I haven't had it but dry socket is meant to be the most painful thing ever. I had a big meal before I had my tooth out so I wouldn't succumb to temptation.

If you get food in the socket you may have to go back to the dentist and have it cleaned out again.

This is the best advice, really! Tbh I'd be concerned it's still bleeding etc 4 hours after? I've always been careful to with heavy lifting, eating and drinking, etc to make sure the clot was well formed right after removal... You need to get that clot formed, forget food for the moment, and be careful not to dislodge a new clot, because it sounds like dry socket could be a real likelihood if you don't!

After removal I would eat pretty much normal food, cut up small, chew slow and careful on the other side of mouth, always keep on top of salt water rinses etc, make sure you're clot is in place though and you don't wash it out.

Hope you don't get dry socket it's meant to be horrific, I've had 8 teeth removed on separate occasions and managed to avoid any issues, just be careful, but really setting the clot immediately after removal has always worked for me.

mintoe · 18/11/14 - 20:07

Rae_Roo wrote: »

This is the best advice, really! Tbh I'd be concerned it's still bleeding etc 4 hours after? I've always been careful to with heavy lifting, eating and drinking, etc to make sure the clot was well formed right after removal... You need to get that clot formed, forget food for the moment, and be careful not to dislodge a new clot, because it sounds like dry socket could be a real likelihood if you don't!

After removal I would eat pretty much normal food, cut up small, chew slow and careful on the other side of mouth, always keep on top of salt water rinses etc, make sure you're clot is in place though and you don't wash it out.

Hope you don't get dry socket it's meant to be horrific, I've had 8 teeth removed on separate occasions and managed to avoid any issues, just be careful, but really setting the clot immediately after removal has always worked for me.

I agree with the above..my poor daughter (22) had her back tooth removed on Friday, and although she was careful, has been in agony ever since. She went back to the Dentist today and she has dry socket!! She has had it packed and been given anti-biotics , she said she cried when he packed the tooth it hurt that much! .......So O.P ..please please be careful..hope you heal quickly.

[Deleted User] · 18/11/14 - 20:13

Thanks for all the replies and advice guys.

It's now been 7 hours since the extraction and I'm still bleeding and having a ton of saliva. I've tried rinsing with warm water/salt and biting hard on tissues etc (although it makes me gag). I'm really hungry and thirsty and am worried I won't be able to go to sleep later without drooling blood everywhere.

Hotgossip · 18/11/14 - 20:17

mintoe wrote: »

I agree with the above..my poor daughter (22) had her back tooth removed on Friday, and although she was careful, has been in agony ever since. She went back to the Dentist today and she has dry socket!! She has had it packed and been given anti-biotics , she said she cried when he packed the tooth it hurt that much! .......So O.P ..please please be careful..hope you heal quickly.

Is you daughter a smoker? Years ago when I was a smoker I was dying for a smoke after having a tooth extracted so I carried on. I ended up with a dry socket and I was in agony for weeks and can honestly say it was the most painful thing I have ever experienced.

Nowadays they tell you WHY you shouldn't smoke after an extraction and also give you written advice but when I had my tooth out they didn't.

LightningIguana · 18/11/14 - 20:31

I had my first tooth pulled back in the summer and lived pretty much on cup-a-soups four four days before I added some bread to that with very careful chewing. Gradually added spaghetti but was terrified of getting dry socket and didn't touch anything harder than soggy rice krispies for almost two weeks.

I think one of the worst bits was waking up a one morning with a scabby lump of gauze fibres and blood on my tongue and then picking gauze strands out of my mouth for weeks after.

Still better than the pain I had, though *shattered root canal*

Rae_Roo · 18/11/14 - 20:37

Shadow2009 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies and advice guys.

It's now been 7 hours since the extraction and I'm still bleeding and having a ton of saliva. I've tried rinsing with warm water/salt and biting hard on tissues etc (although it makes me gag). I'm really hungry and thirsty and am worried I won't be able to go to sleep later without drooling blood everywhere.

You should try just biting down on a bit of gauze and let the clot form, I don't think you should be rinsing with salt water yet, for one you could loosen a clot that hasn't set yet, did you not get advice from the dentist, I always got a little info card, I'm sure you wait about 24hr til you do rinses... Or maybe it's 12hours... Anyways, there's no reason you can't eat or drink just carefully at the side of your mouth that's ok.

Really though you need to prioritise allowing a clot to set, I'm sure dry socket comes on at least a few days later, I'd really want to avoid it at all costs, research what you should do online or phone dentist for advise in the morning! I'm sure it'd be a pretty standard query.

DinkyDoo · 18/11/14 - 21:07

Eat soft foods in small bits once the anesthetic has worn off properly. As well as giving me a terrible headache I get the munchies from it. So you have my sympathy. I had a back tooth out recently and got food caught in the hole, and dislodged the blood clot. The pain was terrible, the dentist packed it and the relief was almost instant. Then I spent a week worrying that id dislodge the gauze like I had the blood clot.

[Deleted User] · 19/11/14 - 09:29

Oh dear. I can't believe I was thinking about a Chinese last night!

I managed to stop the bleeding at like 10pm after biting on a wet teabag for 45 minutes. I went to sleep (with an old t-shirt below the pillow so there wouldn't be blood on the sheets) and woke up this morning with the sheets/duvet covers covered in blood.

I also went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and I had dry blood all over my face and when I opened my mouth my teeth were covered in black, dried blood.

I brushed them again and drank some water but really afraid to eat incase I dislodge a clot or something.

This is bloody horrible, I didn't think it'd be this bad. There's definitely no bleeding now but ugh, all I taste is blood and I feel so dirty and smelly, lol.

elliecat · 19/11/14 - 09:59

I was told I could eat bread without crusts. I also had a bowl of weetabix which was heaven. I tried noodles but found they stuck in the gap.

LightningIguana · 19/11/14 - 12:29

Shadow2009 wrote: »

Oh dear. I can't believe I was thinking about a Chinese last night!

I managed to stop the bleeding at like 10pm after biting on a wet teabag for 45 minutes. I went to sleep (with an old t-shirt below the pillow so there wouldn't be blood on the sheets) and woke up this morning with the sheets/duvet covers covered in blood. I also went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and I had dry blood all over my face and when I opened my mouth my teeth were covered in black, dried blood. I brushed them again and drank some water but really afraid to eat incase I dislodge a clot or something.

This is bloody horrible, I didn't think it'd be this bad. There's definitely no bleeding now but ugh, all I taste is blood and I feel so dirty and smelly, lol.

I think you've just been unlucky, mine stopped bleeding after a couple of hours so I feel for you. It ought to get better from here on in, I suggest you put your feet up.

MonsterMunch99 · 19/11/14 - 13:10

The blood will be mixing with saliva so it really won't be as bad as you think. If you get dry socket you will absolutely know about it, so if you aren't in pain just continue to take care with the area for a short while.

CitySlicker · 19/11/14 - 13:13

Shadow2009 wrote: »

Oh dear. I can't believe I was thinking about a Chinese last night!

I managed to stop the bleeding at like 10pm after biting on a wet teabag for 45 minutes. I went to sleep (with an old t-shirt below the pillow so there wouldn't be blood on the sheets) and woke up this morning with the sheets/duvet covers covered in blood. I also went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and I had dry blood all over my face and when I opened my mouth my teeth were covered in black, dried blood. I brushed them again and drank some water but really afraid to eat incase I dislodge a clot or something.

This is bloody horrible, I didn't think it'd be this bad. There's definitely no bleeding now but ugh, all I taste is blood and I feel so dirty and smelly, lol.

Sounds really unpleasant but at least the bleeding has stopped, give it a few weeks and it'll start to be a distant memory. Hang in there, you've had some really good advice on here about eating and dry sockets.

[Deleted User] · 19/11/14 - 13:59

How do I know if the blood is clotting or I'm getting a dry socket?

CitySlicker · 19/11/14 - 14:51

A dry socket will be really really painful, whereas a clot will be sore, probably throb a bit, from time to time you'll probably forget about it. Either way it's best to gargle salt water to avoid infection.

Don't be tempted to poke your tongue around either, that can easily dislodge a clot and you're back to square one.

[Deleted User] · 19/11/14 - 15:15

CitySlicker wrote: »

A dry socket will be really really painful, whereas a clot will be sore, probably throb a bit, from time to time you'll probably forget about it. Either way it's best to gargle salt water to avoid infection.

Don't be tempted to poke your tongue around either, that can easily dislodge a clot and you're back to square one.

Thanks.

I'm not really in in any pain (thankfully) even though I did have a roll and sausage earlier, plus a packet of crisps.

The "hole" where the tooth used to be is still black/red, and I just gargled some salt water.

Oh please let me avoid a dry socket.

MonsterMunch99 · 19/11/14 - 16:26

Shadow2009 wrote: »

Thanks.

I'm not really in in any pain (thankfully) even though I did have a roll and sausage earlier, plus a packet of crisps. The "hole" where the tooth used to be is still black/red, and I just gargled some salt water.

Oh please let me avoid a dry socket.

Not to scare you, but if you get dry socket you will absolutely know about it. I had it after I had a wisdom tooth out, and I was bouncing off the ceiling just counting down the time until I could take my next batch of painkillers.

Just take a bit of care with eating and cleaning, and just try to forget about it.

Rae_Roo · 19/11/14 - 19:31

Shadow2009 wrote: »

Thanks.

I'm not really in in any pain (thankfully) even though I did have a roll and sausage earlier, plus a packet of crisps. The "hole" where the tooth used to be is still black/red, and I just gargled some salt water.

Oh please let me avoid a dry socket.

I think the thing with dry socket is it doesn't come on for days after the extraction I think even up to 5 days after, that's always when I've sighed in relief after each of my 8 extractions! Black and red in the hole sounds good though, hopefully the clot will hold, and the time it wasn't there won't cause you issue

Just a heads up, I wouldn't gargle per say, with salt water, but tip my head to let it just 'wash' over the site, aggressive gargling could dislodge a precarious clot, also I'd use slightly warm salt water - not too warm though, I was warned very cold water can shock the tissue a little. Also avoid the sucking action

from smoking, straws, also very hot drinks that might soften/loosen the clot!

You've got a little way to go til you're in the safe zone

just at the sign of pain get straight back to the dentist to get it packed, it's the only thing which will relieve dry socket if it comes, I had a friend who had it, and even the strongest cocodomol didn't touch the pain, until she got to dentist! I've never had a tooth site be 'sore' the day after extraction, a little tender the same day, but not painful at all, so undue discomfort, imo would be worth a call to the dentist to be on the safe side!

For future reference what I always do after extraction is make sure I've got an afternoon off work, go straight home, take a few pk's and have a nap for a few hours, propped up in bed, with head up high, gives the clot time to form nicely, anaesthetic is still working, reduces movement associated with clot dislogdement, and stops you drinking etc, given the blood ample time to congeal. Like I said I've managed to avoid it every time, I always thought my odds would decrease each time, that eventually my luck would run out and dry socket would appear, but being careful and using this method afterwards has always stood me well!

Good luck op!

[Deleted User] · 19/11/14 - 19:59

Oh God Rae_Roo. Thanks for that.

Check you out, you're practically an expert at this!

I'm nervous about tomorrow because I read the first sign of a dry socket appears within 2-4 days after extraction.

I also have a filling to look forward to next month and then braces/jaw surgery next year. Oh the joys.

duckylucky · 19/11/14 - 20:08

I have had dry socket and believe me ypu will know ! The pain is all consuming , I sat all night rocking in pain , its like a drill being put through your jaw and out through your brain . No pain relief touched it and only the pack ghe dentist puf in stopped the sheer agony
Good luck OP , most extractions go fine and without a hitch

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