28 Easy Vegan Wisdom Teeth Removal Food Recipes (+Tips for Healing!)
Recipe Collections, Recipes | October 10, 2016 | By Nick Abell
27 comments
Are you vegan and getting dental work done? Worried about being stuck eating only soft vegan foods? I know the feeling!! Fret no more with these 28 delicious and filling wisdom teeth removal food recipes, all vegan of course (and not all smoothies).
What You’ll Find in This Vegan Wisdom Tooth / Oral Surgery Guide
- My Background Story (Here’s to hoping your wisdom teeth removal story is less traumatic, ha!)
- Foods to Focus On
- Sweet, Soft Vegan Recipes
- Savory, Soft Vegan Recipes
- A Word on Antibiotics
- Products That Helped Me
- (↑ Click to Jump)
Just a Bit of Wisdom Tooth-Removal Backstory:
I was 22 when all four of my wisdom teeth had finally broken through.
The bottom two still had a little to go, but I wanted to wait and see if it was necessary to remove them.
I figured… there seemed to be plenty of room, why fix something that wasn’t broken? The minor growing painsI experiencedfrom the wisdom teethwasn’t enough forme to remove them.
(Plus, needles + my mouth = not a great time)
Here’s where the fun starts:
It started when I woke up feeling like a hot knife was jammed into my wisdom tooth. Maybe my wisdom tooth was finally ripping through the last bit of skin?
I took turmeric, ginger, and other anti-inflammatory supplements… Anything to try and wait it out.
Finally, I caved and took ibuprofen (*gasp!*)
Now, I don’t have an issue with modern medicine… However, I will exhaust every other method of pain-relief first.
Long Story Short…
I ran to the dentist, got some x-rays, and discovered an infection underneath awisdom tooth eating away at my jawbone. I know!! WTF, right!?
The dentist told me that if I wanted to be knocked out for the procedure, it would be another 2-3 week wait.
I didn’t care about being put out anymore, I wanted this sucker out now! He prescribed some antibiotics (more on this later..)and I went home to sleep this sh*t away.
Remember that scene in Castaway when Tom Hanks hammered his tooth out with an ice skate?
I was fantasizing about doing it.
Luckily, they called me thenext morning to let me know they could squeeze me in if I could be there within thehour.
SCORE!
The procedure itself wasn’t tooterrible.
I got laughing gas, way too manyshots, and tried to ignorethe noises of my teeth being ripped out.
(Luckily, Grimesturns out to be the perfect companion to laughing gas..I was almost able to pretend there wasn’t aman literallystanding up to get better leverage on my jaw.)
60 horrible minutes later, the dentist surprised me with “Well, Nick… You’re all done!”
*me in a complete daze*: “omg whaaa?”
Now Comes the Terrible Part:
- No drinking through straws (yes… Not even your precious reusable ones)
- No overly-spicy food
- No crunchy/hard food
- Overall: Keep chewing to a minimum
Sounds reaaaal fun, right?
According to my doctor:
“Basically just bite down on these gauze pads for a couple of days, drink soda, and eat Jell-O”
“Oh yeah, and if you f*** up, dry socket islike the most painful thing inexistence, so good luck”
WHAT!?
Finally,Wisdom Teeth Removal Food Recipes That Heal the Body
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Just because I can’t chew doesn’t mean I have to waste away eating frosties, ice cream, and Jell-O!
As great as that sounds (and I fully intend to treat myself), my body will heal much faster if I nourish it. I need every plant-based nutrient I can get my mouth on!
What does this mean?
- Soups,
- Smoothies,
- Nice creams,
- Mashes,
- You name it!
The goal here is soft vegan food galore.
I focused on recipes that use nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods to help speed the healing process.
Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods include:
- Beets
- Blueberries
- Ginger
- Holy Basil
- Leafy Green Vegetables
- Turmeric
- ..much more!
Notice what’s not on the list?
Jell-O (*sarcastic gasp*)
Again, the recipes are split into two categories; SweetandSavory.
Let’s be honest; that’s all the decision making you have the energy for.
Speaking of! The recipes are all also relatively easy to prepare. Trust me, I know you’re not going to want to do much.
Even better, make someone cook it for you! You deserve to be babied at a time like this!!
Pin-It for Later!
Sweet Wisdom Teeth Removal Food
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Here it is, folks! All the sweet, filling treats you’re craving in a tooth-extraction-friendly form!
(My tip: Skipstraws, crunchy ingredients, or garnishesas needed!)
Tropical Green SmoothiefromVeggie Inspired
Strawberry-Banana Peanut Butter SmoothiefromWatch Learn Eat
5-Minute Chocolate & Avocado Pudding from Eat Yourself Green
Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie from Beaming Baker
Homemade Applesauce RecipefromYummy Mummy Kitchen
Creamy Cauliflower Breakfast BowlfromUnconventional Baker
Turmeric Pumpkin SmoothiefromApollo and Luna
PB&J SmoothiefromDomesticate Me
Coconut Matcha Ice CreamfromStrength and Sunshine
Chocolate Banana Coconut Chia Pudding from Delightful Adventures
Vegan Chocolate MoussefromFried Dandelions
Sweet Potato SmoothiefromEat With Clarity
SavoryWisdom Teeth Removal Food
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At this point, you’re probably saying “Those are great, Nick! Unfortunately I stillfeel like I’m starving to death. Sweets just aren’t cutting it, I WANT DINNER!”
I know, because it happened to me! Smoothies are easy-peasy! Duh!
But what happens when you’re ready for something savory? Something to make you feel like you actually ate real food?
Lucky for you; this part of the list are all things savory. You won’t be going hungry under my watch!
(Hint: Skip any hardgarnishes as needed. As beautiful as they may be, crunchy bits are going to be the bane of your existencefor a couple of weeks..)
Easy Ginger Carrot SoupfromVegan Family Recipes
Potato Kale SoupfromVegan Heaven
Summer Veggie & Bean SoupfromVeggies Don’t Bite
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Recipe with Vegan Mushroom Gravy fromServing Realness
Cream of Tomato SoupfromEating Vibrantly
Raw Red Pepper and Tomato SoupfromVegan Huggs
Black Bean SoupfromFried Dandelions
Butternut Squash and Turmeric SoupfromGarden in the Kitchen
Five Ingredient Roasted Broccoli SoupfromThe Mostly Vegan
Creamy Coconut Carrot & Ginger SoupfromA Virtual Vegan
Healthy Mashed Sweet PotatoesfromVegan Family Recipes
Corn ChowderfromV Nutrition
Easiest (and Tastiest!) Vegan Cheese Sauce EVERfromServing Realness
Restaurant Style Lentil SoupfromFried Dandelions
Homemade Spaghetti O’sfromStrength and Sunshine
Cream of Cauliflower SoupfromA Sweet Alternative
What About the Antibiotics?
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Ah! Can’t forget about the antibiotics the dentist is sure to give you.
First, and most importantly:
For the love of ALL THINGS WONDERFUL, finish out your entire bottle of antibiotics.
Failing to do so can lead to drug-resistant bacteria, which we don’t need any more of.
In fact, my nurse mother instilled in me to:
- Avoid antibiotics unless necessary, and
- When they are: FINISH THE DAMN BOTTLE!
“Saving antibiotics for a rainy day” fuels super-bugs. (Factory farming is already doing a fine enough job without your help)
Rant Over
To replenish the good gut bacteria the drugs are wiping out, be sure to incorporate:
- Fermented foods
- A good non-dairy Probiotic
Although it was a bit too strong for my mouth at first, I was able to drink Kombucha again after the 5th day. (HOW I’VE MISSED YOU!)
Another great option in the meantime is a capsule form.
My favorite vegan probiotic is this one from Renew Life. It has a decent amount of strains (12 to be exact). Even better, 50 Billion CFU is a really decent dose to get those good guys back in your system.
Some Notes on Taking Probiotics:
Take them as far away (time-wise) from your antibiotics as possible.
Taking them together would be an absolute waste, as the antibiotic would immediately destroy the good bacteria inside the probiotic.
Other Tips for Handling Tooth Removal Pain (+ Products That Helped Me)
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First,listen to your dentist!
Everyone is different, every healing process is unique! (Aaaaaaaand I’m not a medical professional)
In my experience:
The majority of the pain and discomfort occurred the day of the extraction. The second day I was feeling a little lazy, and the third almost completely back!
Take it easy, eat some delicious vegan wisdom teeth removal food, and you’ll be back to normal in no time!
These are the products I used to help:
48 hours after the removal, it was recommended to do a saltwater rinse! I used 2teaspoons of sea salt dissolved into a cupof warm (filtered) water, swished for 30-60 seconds. It may seem like a lot of salt, but lower concentrations didn’t seem to help with pain much. Experiment for yourself to determine how salty you like it!
- Has natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties,
- Reduces bleeding,
- Fortifies enamel, and
- Can help keep your mouth moist and fresh by stimulating the production of saliva
Be cautious of anything too minty, as the gums could still be sensitive.
I was lucky and had this product on hand when the pain started.
The majority of the pain was deep in my gum, so this didn’t cut it 100%, but the gums were sore as well.
Clove is a natural analgesic (numbing agent), so this can be helpful for both pre- and post-treatment.
Similar to peppermint: echinacea root, ginger, garlic, onion, and a bunch of other strange things are all traditionally used for alleviating mouth pain.
Some of these sound nasty, or difficult to obtain, but give it a try!
There’s a chance I missed the holy grail of wisdom tooth pain relief.
27 Comments
Larissa Tedesco
October 11, 2016 at 12:11 am
Aww thanks for including my recipe!
I remember how terrible it was when I go back from my dentist after removing all 4 (yes, all of them) wisdom teeth and having to eat ice cream (the store-bought stuff) made my stomach churn. Hope you are a lot better now!Peace & Love,
Larissa
http://eatyourselfgreen.comReply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:59 pm
I couldn’t believe the instructions were for me to go out and get a frosty! 😂
Fully solid ice cream somehow seems even worse! hahaReply
Strength and Sunshine
October 11, 2016 at 4:45 am
Heal up, my friend!
When I got all 4 of mine out 3 years ago, I good with pain, so I just took my antibiotic, Advil about 2 times for the first 2 days and even ate an apple that same night after my surgery 😛 Bahaha!
The worst part was somehow getting an infection 6 months AFTER they were taken out! That surgery to clean the infection with hell!
I hope my coconut matcha ice cream helps 😉Reply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:57 pm
Oh my god, noooo!! I thought I was in the clear, that sounds horrible! 😱
Reply
Ribas with Love
October 11, 2016 at 7:29 am
Hi Nick! sorry about your experience there and hope all is well. Although I can imagine the pain you went through, you were actually able to make your story quite “entertaining” for the rest of us. Definitely a fun read! Lovely selection of recipes as well, and thank you for including my Butternut Squash Soup with Turmeric! xoxo
Reply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:54 pm
Thank you!
Luckily the situation is a lot funnier looking back on it 😂Reply
Jenn
October 11, 2016 at 1:16 pm
You definitely want to listen to doctor’s orders! I had all 4 of my impacted wisdom teeth out when I was younger and ended up with dry socket twice. Horrifying. This round up is definitely going to keep your tummy happy while healing! Thanks for including my smoothie. 🙂
Reply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:53 pm
Oh no!! Literally my worst nightmare 🙁
My mom (on the way to the appointment, mind you) was telling me dry socket was worse for her than child-birth. No thank you!Reply
Laura // Chronicles of Passion
October 11, 2016 at 4:37 pm
This is a great list Nick! Thanks for including my beetroot pudding in it. hope you are on the mend and all is well!
Reply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:51 pm
Thank you! I just wish I had found the recipe before my surgery! hahaha
Reply
MaryEllen@VNutrition
October 12, 2016 at 5:09 am
Such a great idea for a roundup! I hope your teeth are feeling better. I had my wisdom teeth pulled too and it was not a great week – and the noises were horrible like you said. I wish I had your roundup then!
And thanks for including my Corn Chowder!
Reply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:50 pm
Thank you!! I’m feeling 1,000x better! It’s just a matter of babying you body afterwards 😉
Reply
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs
October 12, 2016 at 10:29 am
I love this roundup! I seriously could’ve used this when I had three removed last year. I was in so much pain. I can’t believe you did it with just laughing gas. I was way too scared to hear that cracking noise. You are very brave! Thank you for including my tomato soup recipe 🙂
Reply
Nick
October 12, 2016 at 7:48 pm
It’s such a stressful situation!! I just wish I had put the roundup together before I went through it haha
Reply
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes
October 13, 2016 at 9:14 am
Thanks so much for putting this together! What a wonderful roundup! Sharing 😉
Reply
Nick
October 13, 2016 at 11:41 am
Thank you! 😀
Reply
Nico @ yumsome
January 19, 2017 at 5:28 am
Fortunately, I’ve never had problems with my wisdom teeth, so haven’t had them out; however, last year I did have to have major dental surgery, so I totally get where you’re coming from in this post.
And yes, why is it that some folks think that because we’re vegan, we don’t need painkillers? We’re not superhuman!
Lucky you, having laughing gas – I asked to be knocked out but nothing doing. Plus having an anaesthetist would have added so much more to the cost of my surgery. I contented myself with a Harry Potter audiobook on my iPod!
You can read about my adventure if you like…
http://www.thegoktor.com/the-ds-diet-my-successful-weight-loss-secrets-revealed/
Reply
Nick Abell
January 20, 2017 at 4:01 pm
Oh my god, I don’t think my wisdom teeth removal can even compare to what you went through! Kudos for being able to laugh at the situation afterwords, though 😉
Reply
Nico @ yumsome
January 25, 2017 at 2:41 pm
I cried too. In the chair. Like the grown-up I’m clearly not! LOL!
But yeah, you have to find the funny side, right? It’s been worth it though. Totally worth it. 🙂
Reply
Melissa Johns
October 10, 2017 at 4:25 am
Hi Nick, Under “Other tips” you mention a “Clove-Based Oral Analgesic” but the link just takes me to the Amazon home page. Any idea what that item was? Thanks!
Reply
Nick Abell
October 10, 2017 at 11:43 am
How strange! The link seems to be working now, but here is the product on Amazon!
Reply
April Parekh
April 3, 2018 at 10:45 am
This is an awesome list and just what I was looking for. Going in to get an extraction (same sort of deal, pocket of infection up above that was decaying near the roots). Wanted to be prepared with some liquid like healthy vegan recipes.
Reply
Nick Abell
April 3, 2018 at 10:47 am
Thanks so much! This is definitely a resource I wish I had before I went in.. so glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Reply
Michelle L Yakimicki
May 20, 2018 at 3:09 pm
I just made up 4 of your soups and bought stuff for 2 of the smoothies. Getting extractions in two days so I wanted to have lots of stuff to freeze ahead of time. Thanks for writing this!
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Nick Abell
June 1, 2018 at 9:30 am
So glad I could be of help! Good luck with the healing process, I’m sending positive energy! 😀
Reply
Soulless Engineer
June 2, 2018 at 11:13 pm
I’m only 6 months vegan, and just had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled in one sitting due to some dental neglect in my past. I wanted to just take a minute and say thank you so very much for these recipes! I don’t know how I would have made it through this past week without them.
Reply
Nick Abell
July 11, 2018 at 3:35 pm
Thank you so much for those kind words! That is exactly why I put the piece together, I’m so glad you found it useful.
Reply
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