"Another thing that worked surprisingly well for me was mashed avocado."
Mashed avocado sounds like a good idea, actually...wish I'd thought of that when I had my dental work done. Cottage cheese wasn't my favorite either, but weirdly enough, blending it into smoothies helped a lot. I know it sounds kinda gross, but once it's blended with banana or berries, you don't even notice the lumps. Might be worth a shot if you ever have to deal with this again (hopefully not anytime soon though!).
Mashed avocado is a pretty clever idea, actually. Wish I'd known about that earlier too. I remember when I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I tried to survive on yogurt and applesauce for days, and it got old real fast. Your smoothie idea with cottage cheese doesn't sound gross at all—I've done something similar with Greek yogurt, banana, and frozen mango chunks. If you blend it long enough, the texture turns super creamy and smooth...no lumps at all.
One thing that really helped me was making soups thicker by blending in cooked veggies like sweet potatoes or carrots. Just boil them until they're soft, then blend them up with some broth or milk until it's silky smooth. It tastes comforting and fills you up better than plain broth or thin soups. Plus, you can season it however you like—garlic powder, a bit of ginger, or even a pinch of cinnamon if you're feeling adventurous.
Also, scrambled eggs cooked softly were a lifesaver for me. You just have to make sure they're not too hot when you eat them (learned that the hard way). But they're quick to whip up and gentle on sore gums.
Anyway, dental stuff is never fun...but sounds like you're managing pretty well so far. Hopefully your mouth heals quickly and you'll be back to eating normally soon enough!
Mashed avocado sounds great in theory, but honestly, I found it a bit too bland after a day or two. Maybe my tastebuds were just bored out of their minds by then, haha. I ended up mixing mine with a squeeze of lime juice and a tiny pinch of salt to make it more interesting—definitely helped.
Also, I see your point about scrambled eggs being gentle and easy, but for some reason they didn't sit well with me at all. Maybe it was the texture or something, but my mouth was super sensitive and even soft eggs felt weirdly grainy. Instead, I relied heavily on oatmeal cooked down until it was practically baby food consistency. Sounds kinda gross now that I'm typing it out, but trust me, when your gums feel like they've been through World War III, it's actually pretty comforting. I'd stir in some honey or maple syrup to keep things from getting too depressing.
Your veggie soup tip is spot-on though—wish I'd thought of blending sweet potatoes! My go-to was broccoli cheddar soup blended smooth (store-bought because cooking felt like climbing Everest at the time). It tasted amazing, but let's just say the color wasn't exactly appetizing...bright green puree isn't everyone's cup of tea. My roommate took one look and asked if I was eating baby alien food. Still ate it though; desperate times call for desperate measures.
One thing no one mentioned yet: ice cream milkshakes. Not exactly nutritious, but man did they save my sanity during recovery days when everything else seemed impossible to eat. I'd blend vanilla ice cream with milk and peanut butter or chocolate syrup—felt indulgent enough to distract me from the misery for a bit.
Anyway, hang in there—it gets better faster than you think. Before long you'll be back to crunching chips without thinking twice about it...and probably forgetting all these weird concoctions we came up with along the way.
Haha, totally relate to the broccoli cheddar soup situation—my grandkids called mine "Shrek soup" and refused to even look at it. I survived mostly on lukewarm mac 'n cheese mashed into oblivion...not glamorous, but hey, it worked.
Haha, mashed mac 'n cheese was my go-to as well. Texture matters way more than taste at that point... Hang in there, it does get easier once you find your comfort foods.
