Root canal therapy is a procedure that is used to treat an abscessed tooth. It treats the infected pulp by removing the bacteria that has built up under your tooth. After the procedure, you will most likely experience pain and tooth sensitivity throughout your entire mouth. As a result, this can make it difficult to eat certain foods. Eating the wrong foods can create irritation in the area that was just treated. In order to avoid this, there are a few foods you should avoid eating while recovering from your root canal therapy.

Chewy Foods

Root canal therapy involves accessing the infected pulp through your tooth. As a result, after the procedure, there is a hole. Your dentist will patch of this hole to protect your pulp from future infection by installing temporary filings. If you eat chewy foods immediately after your surgery, there is a high chance that the food will adhere to your filling and pull it out. A few chewy foods that should be avoided during your recovery process include:

  • Chewy granola bars
  • Gum
  • Candy
  • Raisins

Hard Foods

During the recovery process, your teeth are delicate. Chewing on anything that is too hard can end up cracking and damaging your filing as well as your teeth. Therefore, it is important to avoid eating hard foods until your teeth have fully recovered from the procedure. Tough meat like beef should also be avoided during the first few days of your recovery. However, after a few days you can switch over to softer meats like chicken and fish. As a general rule, make sure to cook all of your foods until they are falling off the bone.

Extremely Hot or Cold Foods

Tooth sensitivity is common after a root canal therapy procedure. Exposing your teeth to extremely hot or cold foods will only aggravate your teeth and increase the sensitivity. One way to avoid this is by waiting to eat foods until they reach room temperature. Your teeth will not be able to handle soup that was just taken off the stove. Instead, wait for it to cool before consuming it. In addition, cold foods like ice cream and popsicles need to be actively avoided during this time.

Recovering from root canal therapy can be long and painful if you decide to just eat any foods you like. Therefore, use this as a guide to help remain pain-free while recovering from root canal therapy. For more information, talk to a dentist such as Michael J Tisdelle DDS.

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