Had a molar yanked yesterday and honestly, I was not prepared for how weird my mouth would feel after. The dentist gave me the usual instructions (no straws, soft foods, rinse gently), but I’m still paranoid about messing something up or getting dry socket. Anyone got tips for making recovery less annoying? Like, is there a food you swear by, or some random trick that made things easier?
I’m still paranoid about messing something up or getting dry socket.
Totally get this—my kid had a molar out last year and I was a nervous wreck. Did your dentist mention how long to keep biting on the gauze? I kept double-checking that with ours. We stuck to mashed potatoes, yogurt, and applesauce for a few days. I kept wondering if cold foods were better or worse—anyone know? Also, how do you handle brushing near the site? I was terrified my kid would bump it and cause issues.
I’m right there with you—the fear of dry socket is real. I’ve had a couple teeth pulled (plus my wisdoms), and honestly, the worry about “messing it up” stuck with me for days. I always felt like one wrong move—eating the wrong thing, brushing too close—would ruin everything.
On the food front, I get why people lean toward cold stuff, but personally, I found room temp or slightly warm foods way more comfortable. Ice cream and cold yogurt actually made the area ache a bit for me, but mashed potatoes were perfect. Maybe it’s just individual sensitivity? The main thing is avoiding anything with little bits that might get stuck in the hole. Rice was a nightmare; never again.
Brushing was tricky. I used one of those super soft baby toothbrushes and just sort of tiptoed around the extraction spot. I didn’t brush right on it for a couple days—just gently cleaned the rest and rinsed with salt water near the site. My dentist said no swishing hard though, just kind of let it sit there. Honestly, I was more paranoid about brushing than eating.
Also, about the gauze—I think dentists are all over the place on this. Mine said 30-45 minutes, but my friend’s said an hour. I changed it once after about 20 minutes because it was soaked, then left the next one in for longer. Didn’t want to overdo it, but also didn’t want to bleed all over my pillow later.
Honestly, I think some anxiety is good—it keeps you careful. But at a certain point, you just have to trust your body will heal and not obsess over every little thing (hard as that is). Dry socket is rare if you follow instructions, even if you feel like you’re walking on eggshells for a bit.
The dry socket paranoia is something else, isn’t it? I remember when I had my bottom molar yanked out in my late 60s—felt like I was tiptoeing around my own mouth for a week. My dentist told me, “Just don’t poke at it,” and of course, that made me hyper-aware of every single thing my tongue did. Like suddenly my tongue was a toddler with sticky hands.
Funny thing about cold foods: folks always say “eat ice cream, it’ll help!” but for me, cold just made everything throb. I tried a spoonful of vanilla and nearly jumped out of my skin. Ended up living on room-temp scrambled eggs and those instant mashed potatoes for days. One time I got brave and tried a bit of rice pudding—big mistake. Had to rinse so many times to get the grains out, I felt like I was prepping for dental Olympics.
Brushing was a whole adventure too. I bought the softest toothbrush I could find (I think it had a cartoon turtle on it) and still felt like I was defusing a bomb every time I got close to the extraction site. My wife caught me standing in front of the mirror, making faces while trying to avoid the crater in my gums. She laughed, but hey, better safe than sorry.
The gauze instructions are all over the place, you’re right about that. My dentist said 30 minutes, but the assistant whispered “an hour is safer.” Ended up splitting the difference and just watched TV with my mouth stuffed like a chipmunk until it stopped bleeding. Not my most dignified moment.
You nailed it about anxiety being useful up to a point. It’s good to be careful, but after a while you realize your body knows what it’s doing (most days). A little salt water rinse, soft foods, and not overthinking every twinge helped me get through it—and if you do mess up and get something stuck, don’t panic. Just gently rinse and move on.
Honestly, if mashed potatoes were an Olympic sport after extractions, I’d have at least a bronze by now...
That chipmunk-with-gauze image is way too real—I did the same thing, just sort of camped out on the couch, drooling and binge-watching old sitcoms. I totally get what you mean about the tongue being a troublemaker; mine kept poking at the empty spot like it was trying to solve a mystery.
Cold foods didn’t work for me either. I ended up living on overcooked pasta (no sauce), applesauce, and those little cups of pudding. The soft toothbrush struggle is legit—mine felt like it was made for a toddler too, but even then I was paranoid about getting too close. Rinsing with salt water became my weird little ritual after every meal, and I swear it helped calm things down.
Honestly, the biggest help was just telling myself it’s temporary. The first few days were the worst, but after that, it got easier. Hang in there—mashed potato medals all around.
