Can you eat pasta after wisdom teeth removal?

In this brief article, I will answer the question: “Can you eat pasta after wisdom teeth removal?” and I will give some recommendations about the kind of food to eat after its extraction.

Can you eat pasta after wisdom teeth removal?

Yes, you can eat pasta after wisdom teeth removal, but make sure that you cook it in a way to make it soft and easy to swallow. It has to be noted that hot pasta should also be avoided. Tepid food is a preferred choice until complete recovery.

Additionally, tomato-based sauces should be avoided because they are acidic which can irritate the extraction site. Try buttered pasta or a less acidic cream sauce than typical pasta sauce.

When is it necessary to remove wisdom teeth?

If your wisdom teeth cause pain and repeated infection of soft tissue behind the lower last tooth, or become lodged and can’t break through your gums, your dentist may propose that you have them removed.

There are many indications for third molar removal, but the most common reason is recurrent infection around the tooth as it attempts to erupt but is impacted against bone or soft tissues (pericoronitis). Other indications include unrestorable caries, caries in the adjacent tooth, pulpal and periapical pathology, fracture of the tooth, and cyst development, amongst others. The symptoms of pericoronitis are pain, foul taste, swelling of the associated soft tissues about the tooth but also of the face, and restricted mouth opening (trismus) (2). 

It’s better to extract impacted wisdom teeth when you’re 20 years old, according to some dentists and oral surgeons, because the roots and bones of your teeth are still softer and not fully developed. And you tend to heal faster when you’re younger.

It’s possible that you’ll never have any problems with your wisdom teeth, especially if you’re beyond 30.

Wisdom teeth that are healthy and appropriately positioned do not create difficulties and may be retained.

How wisdom teeth are extracted?

Before surgery, a local anesthetic is given by one or more injections around the extraction site by your dentist. Local anesthetic allows patients to remain awake throughout the surgery. They are not in any discomfort. They just feel an amount of pressure being applied to the extraction site.

During surgery, your dentist will open up the gum tissue over the wisdom teeth and remove any bone that is covering it in order to remove it. He will extract the tooth after separating the tissue that connects it to the bone. He may divide it into fractions to make extraction easier. 

After removal of wisdom tooth, your dentist will close the wound with stitches to aid healing, then a gauze is placed over the extraction site to reduce bleeding and enable the formation of a blood clot.

Bone removal may be carried out using drills, chisels or, more recently, a novel technique using piezoelectric surgery. The choice of surgical technique has been implicated in the incidence of nerve damage as well as the severity of pain and swelling. The most common technique using a chisel is the ‘lingual split bone technique’, in which a section of distolingual bone about the wisdom tooth is fractured off to facilitate the removal of the impacted tooth, especially distoangular impacted teeth (2).

Piezosurgery is an osteotomy technique using micro vibrations at ultrasonic frequency to perform efficient bone cutting. The piezoelectric device has been useful for application in complex surgical sites, such as the posterior mandible, where the osteotomy lines are of necessity close to vulnerable structures such as nerves and blood vessels; ultrasonic vibrations allow a selective and defined cutting action, leading to a higher level of precision and safety and less tissue damage than using common rotating instruments (burs) (3).

What happens after removal of wisdom teeth?

Following the removal of a wisdom teeth, you may experience :

• Swelling and pain in the gums and the tooth socket where the tooth was extracted.
• Bleeding will occur after surgery and it will last 24-48 hours. Control bleeding by placing a gauze pack over the wound and biting firmly. If the oozing continues, replace the gauze as needed.
• Difficulty to swallow: this can last for 2 to 3 days.
• For a few days after surgery, stiffness of the jaw muscles may make it difficult to open your mouth. This is a common side effect of surgery that will go away with time.
• Bacteria in the mouth may enter the circulation and cause illnesses in other parts of the body after dental surgery. Antibiotics may be required before and after dental surgery. This shall be prescribed by your doctor.

Before the removal of lower wisdom teeth the surgeon is obliged to inform the patient about the possibility of damage to the inferior alveolar and lingual nerve and other complications, such as pain, swelling, bleeding, and infection and potential risk of mandibular fracture (1).

What to eat after wisdom teeth extraction?

After wisdom tooth removal, pain, inflammation, and jaw stiffness can make eating difficult.

For this reason, you should eat soft or liquid foods for a few days after surgery, according to the National Health Service (NHS) (2).

Here is a list of some food you should eat after wisdom teeth extraction:

• Blended lukewarm soups and smoothies are an excellent way to ensure you get enough nutrients. Soups and smoothies can be prepared with a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as protein powders, to give the vitamins and minerals for a balanced ration. Fruit and vegetable juice, broth, and water are also good options. Cold foods will help the incision to heal and relieve pain, so eat a lot of cold foods following wisdom teeth removal, especially on the first day.

• Soft meals that do not need chewing (ie: yogurt, soups, scrambled eggs, soft cheese, etc.) can be eaten during the first days. You should keep in mind that your gums will be sensitive, and you should only eat things that are lukewarm rather than hot or warm, since these can cause pain to your healing wounds.
• Starting from the third day, you will be able to eat soft solid foods, such as mashed potatoes, oatmeal and pasta. Allow the meal to cool completely before consuming anything.
• Because the gums haven’t totally healed, it’s still important to eat soft foods on the fourth day. Continue to eat and drink cool foods and beverages. At this stage, you can eat a larger variety of meals, such as soft sandwiches, noodles, and mashed bananas and avocados.
• Most people are starting to feel better following their wisdom teeth removal from 5th day and beyond. While you can probably add non-chewy foods like spaghetti, macaroni, and cottage cheese to your diet, you should still proceed with caution. 

After you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, having a meal plan is crucial to your recovery. Before having the treatment done, talk to your dentist if you have any queries or if you have any special dietary needs.

Other FAQs about Pasta that you may be interested in.

Can you get salmonella from pasta?

Can you get food poisoning from fresh pasta?

Can you eat cold pasta?

Can you eat pasta on a diet?

Conclusion

In this essay, I answered the question “Can you eat pasta after wisdom teeth removal?” and I gave a short overview about the effects of removing wisdom teeth as well as the type of food to be consumed until total recovery.

Please feel free to ask any questions about this subject.

References

1. Wagner, K. W., et al. Pathological mandibular fractures following third molar removal. Int j oral maxillofac surg, 2005, 34, 722-726.
2. Bailey, Edmund, et al. Surgical techniques for the removal of mandibular wisdom teeth. Cochrane Datab System Rev, 2020, 7.  
3. Mantovani, Edoardo, et al. A split-mouth randomized clinical trial to evaluate the performance of piezosurgery compared with traditional technique in lower wisdom tooth removal. J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2014, 72, 1890-1897.