Getting an adult tooth taken out of your mouth can be painful and make your gums sore. Once a tooth is pulled, it is also a good idea to allow the gums to form a clot in the now empty tooth socket. If the clot does not form, the gums cannot properly heal. In order to allow the gums to heal, you will need to stay away from foods that are sticky and from sucking through a straw. Here are three seemingly innocuous foods that you should stay away from after a tooth extraction. 

Ice cream cones

Ice cream is one of the foods that dentists will suggest after you have a tooth pulled.However, one of the things that you want to stay away from is ice cream in the cone form. Many people will tend to suck on ice cream that is in the form of a cone, especially when the ice cream has settled into the cone. Sucking can dislodge a clot, which will create troubles with your healing. Stick with ice cream inside of a bowl or a cup instead of an ice cream cone. 

Chewing gum or mints

If you are a smoker, smoking will be forbidden after you get a tooth pulled. For smokers, going cold turkey can be next to impossible. Smokers will often select a nicotine gum or a mint in order to keep their mouth busy. If gum is chewed too vigorously, you can agitate the gums. Sucking on mints will cause the same types of issue, as you will likely need more than one or two mints per day. If you have to quit smoking, go with nicotine patches if you have to give up smoking for the health of your healing. 

Spicy beans and salsa

Beans and salsa are two foods that pack in a lot of flavors while being soft to chew. These can seem like the perfect food to turn to after a tooth extraction, but these can actually cause issues. Spicy foods can irritate the mouth and gums, which will set back your healing. If your favorite hot beans or salsa gets into the hole of the tooth extraction, this could cause major pai,n and it could lead to a new trip to the dentist. A bland diet is best after surgery so that the mouth does not become irritated and so that the gums can close up easily. 

For additional advice, contact a dental office like Stones River Dental.