Does anyone know when I can eat 'normal' food after molar tooth extraction?

[imstilljenny2]

I got my second back top molar tooth removed yesterday at the dentist. I'm surprisingly fine today with not much pain but I'm wondering about food. My dentist probably told me yesterday but I didn't take everything in! I am happy to eat on the other side of my mouth for the next week or two but does anyone know if I need to eat just soft food for that time? I've checked online but most sites suggest different things. I will phone my dentist too but I suspect they will err on the side of caution and I'm going out for dinner with friends on Saturday (been planned for months) so now wondering about how I'll eat!

Normally after a tooth extraction you are given a leaflet on after care. I would err on the side of caution. I would still go for the meal but maybe have something which isn't too chewy, there will be lots of 'softer options' to have.

Did they recommend salt water rinses to help healing ?

I think its normally soft food for a day or until it stops being sore and then eat on the other side to give it chance to heal. But why don't you ring the dentists and ask?

The leaflet they gave me doesn't mention food. Just info on analgesia and salt water rinses and what to do if bleeding occurs. I'll give them a phone thanks.

It took me a couple of weeks to eat normally again, by which time I had eaten every flavour of yogurt known to man, and plenty of soup too.

@FuzzyPuffling do you mean it took you that length of time to eat normally on the side of your mouth with the tooth taken out? I can't imagine eating only soft food for two weeks! I've had my normal muesli this morning but hung my head to the side and only ate on my right side (tooth out on left) and it 'seemed' fine. I have no pain at all but obviously concerned I disrupt the blood clot so don't want any food to go near it.

I was told a few days of soft food and a couple of weeks for the gum to heal over and be back to normal eating.

I didn't want to dislodge anything and was rinsing with salt water frequently. But it was definitely two weeks of yogurt, soup, soft pasta, grated cheese - that sort of thing.

I had a similar thing when I had a lump removed from my tongue a year or so ago. But I took the stitches out myself after 9 days and that improved everything immediately. Dissolvable stitches do not dissolve.