"Keeping hydrated and gently rinsing with warm salt water helped ease mine a bit."
Totally agree about the salt water rinses—I was skeptical at first, but they really made a difference for me too. Weirdly enough, scrambled eggs became my go-to after extraction. Soft enough not to irritate anything, but felt more substantial than smoothies after a while. Funny how quickly you start craving anything with texture...even plain toast seemed like gourmet dining by week two, haha. Glad to hear your dentist mentioned the inflammation peak—I was starting to wonder if it was just me!
Salt water rinses were a lifesaver for me too, though I was always paranoid about swishing too hard and messing something up...probably worried more than necessary, lol. Scrambled eggs sound good—wish I'd thought of that! I mostly stuck to mashed potatoes and yogurt, but after a few days, even those got old fast. Did anyone else find sleeping tricky? I kept waking up worried I'd accidentally rolled onto the extraction side or something...
Totally get that anxiety about sleeping—I remember propping myself up with pillows to stay on one side, but honestly, after a couple nights, I was so tired my body just figured it out. And yeah, mashed potatoes got old fast for me too...I switched things up by blending soups (like veggie or chicken noodle) until they were smooth enough. Cheap and easy way to add variety without risking irritation. You're doing great though, hang in there—each day really does get easier.
"Cheap and easy way to add variety without risking irritation."
Haha, I feel you on the mashed potatoes thing... after my extraction, I swear I never wanted to see another potato again. Blended soups were a lifesaver, but I also got creative with smoothies—throwing in bananas, peanut butter, even a bit of oatmeal for texture (sounds weird, but trust me, it works).
Sleeping was rough at first too. Pillows everywhere, felt like building a fort just to get comfy. Eventually, exhaustion took over and my body just sorta gave up fighting it. One night I woke up face-down drooling on my pillow—so much for careful positioning, right? 😂
Hang in there though, you're definitely past the hardest part. Before you know it you'll be back to chewing actual food and sleeping normally again... promise it gets better!
Haha, your pillow fort comment is spot-on. I remember stacking pillows like some kind of weird Jenga game, only to wake up with half of them on the floor anyway. Smoothies were my jam too—though I never thought about oatmeal, that's actually pretty clever. I went through a phase of blending avocado and chocolate protein powder... sounds gross, but it tasted like pudding and was surprisingly filling.
Honestly, the first week or two felt endless, but after that things improved pretty quickly. One day you're cautiously sipping soup, and before you know it you're back to munching pizza crust without a second thought. Hang in there—you're definitely not alone in the potato fatigue club. It'll pass sooner than you think.
