"I remember stocking up on soups, yogurts, and smoothies, thinking I'd be laid up for days."
Ha, I did exactly the same thing when my daughter had her extraction and implant done last year. I was so nervous about the recovery... probably more than she was. We had enough applesauce and pudding cups to last a month, no joke. Turns out she was back to normal foods within a week, and I was left eating all the leftover soft stuff myself.
Did your dentist say anything specific about physical activity? Ours was pretty cautious—he told us at least a week or two off from sports, even though my daughter felt fine after just a few days. I guess the healing underneath takes longer than it seems on the surface. Glad to hear your son's doing well though... it's reassuring to read other parents' experiences.
I stocked up too, mostly on those little yogurt drinks and instant mashed potatoes (budget-friendly, haha). Honestly, I was more worried about the cost of complications than the recovery itself. My dentist was pretty strict about no heavy lifting or strenuous stuff for at least a week, even though I felt okay after a few days. I guess better safe than sorry, right? Glad your kids bounced back quick...makes me feel better about my upcoming implant.
I stocked up on similar stuff when I had my implant done—mostly soups and smoothies, but honestly, after day three I was craving something crunchy so bad. Did your dentist mention anything about chewing carefully on the opposite side? Mine was pretty insistent about that, but it felt awkward and unnatural. I ended up just sticking to soft foods longer than planned because I was paranoid about messing something up. Funny enough, the hardest part for me wasn't even the eating—it was remembering not to bend over or lift heavy stuff. You don't realize how often you do that until you're told not to, right? Did anyone else find themselves accidentally bending down or lifting something without thinking? Curious if that's just me being forgetful...
I totally get you on the bending over thing... I swear, the minute my dentist said "no heavy lifting or bending," suddenly everything I dropped was super important and needed picking up immediately. 😂 I caught myself halfway down to grab my glasses off the floor and froze like I'd committed a crime or something.
As for chewing on the opposite side, yeah, mine mentioned it too, but honestly, it felt so weird and unnatural that I just ended up sticking to mashed potatoes and yogurt way longer than necessary. I was terrified of messing something up—probably overly cautious, but better safe than sorry, right? And you're not alone craving crunchy stuff. By day four, I was daydreaming about chips and popcorn like they were gourmet meals. Hang in there though, it does get easier!
