"Weirdest part was the phantom tooth feeling—kept forgetting it wasn't there anymore."
Haha, same here... kept poking at the empty spot with my tongue like it'd magically reappear. Also, blended tacos sound rough—mashed potatoes and gravy saved me big time.
kept poking at the empty spot with my tongue like it'd magically reappear.
Haha, blended tacos definitely sound questionable... Did you find mashed potatoes filling enough though? I'm three days post-extraction and still feeling hungry all the time. Also, did anyone else have trouble sleeping comfortably afterward? I keep waking up worried I'll accidentally roll onto that side of my face or something. The phantom tooth feeling is weird enough without adding sleep deprivation to the mix.
"I keep waking up worried I'll accidentally roll onto that side of my face or something."
Totally relate to this. I was paranoid about sleeping on the extraction side too, kept waking up every hour or so checking my pillow for blood (gross, I know). What helped me was propping myself up with an extra pillow, kinda half-sitting. Not the most comfy position but it stopped me from rolling around too much.
Mashed potatoes alone didn't cut it for me either. Ended up blending some soups and smoothies with protein powder to keep hunger at bay. Just be careful with straws—my dentist warned me they can cause dry socket. The phantom tooth thing is annoying but it fades after a week or so...hang in there. If you're still uncomfortable or worried after a few more days though, might be worth double-checking with your dentist to be safe.
I feel ya on the pillow paranoia. Kept waking myself up every couple hours thinking I'd rolled over and messed something up...not fun. Also, my wallet wasn't loving the idea of fancy protein shakes, so I ended up living off cheap oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and yogurt for a few days. Bland, but did the trick. The phantom tooth thing drove me nuts too, but it eased off eventually. Hang tight, it'll get better soon enough.
Totally relate to the pillow anxiety, lol. I remember stacking pillows around me like some kind of fort, thinking it'd keep me from rolling over...didn't really help, just made sleeping awkward. Your oatmeal and scrambled egg diet sounds familiar—my go-to was mashed potatoes and soup for a bit. Not exciting, but at least it wasn't expensive protein shakes.
The phantom tooth thing is weirdly common, I think. For me, it felt like my tongue kept searching for a tooth that wasn't there anymore. Took about a week or two before my brain finally got the memo and stopped checking. And yeah, recovery definitely picks up after a couple weeks. Once the stitches dissolved, things started feeling way more normal. Hang in there, you're probably past the worst part already.
