What can I eat before and after implant surgery?

Before the surgery

With local anaesthesia. There is no need to fast — quite the contrary. You should keep to your normal diet before coming: neither too much, nor too little.

The reason is practical. Going into surgery fasting, with no need to, increases the likelihood of feeling unwell during the procedure. And since eating will be restricted in the hours that follow, arriving at the surgery poorly fed leaves you without reserves for the rest of the day.

With sedation. The instructions vary according to the type of sedation planned: inhalation sedation does not have the same requirements as sedation given by medication. You should therefore ask your dentist specifically what you should eat and whether a period of fasting is needed.

When fasting is indicated, it must be followed strictly: failure to do so may mean the surgery has to be postponed, for safety reasons.

Alcohol. It should be avoided in the 24 hours beforehand.

Regular medication. It is continued, unless you are told otherwise. If you take anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, bisphosphonates or any medication on an ongoing basis, this should be reported at the assessment consultation — not on the day of the surgery.

In the first few hours after the surgery

While the local anaesthetic is still working, take particular care not to bite your lip, your cheek or your tongue. It is a common and avoidable injury, and it happens precisely because the area has no sensation.

For the same reason, avoid hot food and drinks until sensation returns.

In the first 24 hours, do not rinse forcefully and do not use a straw: the suction may interfere with the formation of the clot.

In the first few days

Food should be of a soft consistency, cold or lukewarm, and should not require chewing effort in the operated area.

Cold or lukewarm soups, purées, yoghurts, scrambled eggs, poached fish, fresh cheese, cooked or puréed fruit, jelly. The practical rule is simple: if it needs to be cut with a knife or bitten into forcefully, it is not yet time.

To be avoided at this stage: hard or crunchy foods, or foods with small grains and seeds that could lodge in the operated area; very hot food, which increases swelling; alcoholic drinks, which interfere with healing and with the medication.

Keep well hydrated and do not stop eating. Healing has nutritional requirements, and eating too little in the first few days delays it.

If you have a provisional fixed prosthesis

There is a misunderstanding here that is worth clearing up. The prosthesis placed on the same day is in function and allows you to eat — but the integration of the implants takes place over the following months, and it is during that period that the load on them must be controlled.

The instructions on food consistency and chewing form part of the treatment plan and are maintained for the period defined, even if you already feel perfectly comfortable. Feeling well is not an indicator that integration is complete.

When can I go back to eating normally?

The return to your usual diet is gradual and depends on the extent of the surgery, on the type of rehabilitation and on how healing progresses. It is set during follow-up, and not by a fixed period that is the same for everyone.

If you are unsure about a particular food, ask. It is a legitimate question and the answer takes a minute.