That saltwater rinse definitely surprised me too—felt like pouring lemon juice on a paper cut. I remember obsessing over every little crumb, especially with soft foods. Ended up using a kid’s syringe to gently flush the area...helped a ton with peace of mind.
That syringe trick really does make a difference—my dentist actually suggested it, but I was skeptical at first. I did the saltwater rinse too, but I found it stung less if I let it cool down a bit more than they recommend. Maybe just me, but hot water made everything feel raw. Still worried about missing stuff in the socket though...I kept thinking, what if a tiny seed gets stuck and causes problems later? Sometimes I wonder if all this rinsing is overkill or totally necessary. Anyone else get paranoid about that?
I totally get the paranoia—after my wisdom teeth came out, I was obsessed with making sure nothing got stuck in there. Honestly, I think the rinsing is worth it, but I also let the water cool a bit more too. Hot water just made everything ache more for me. Overkill? Maybe, but better safe than dealing with a dry socket later.
Honestly, I think the rinsing is worth it, but I also let the water cool a bit more too. Hot water just made everything ache more for me.
Yeah, I totally relate to that. After my extraction, I was super careful with temperature—lukewarm at best. The oral surgeon warned me about using anything too hot or too cold, but honestly, cold water felt like an electric shock in my mouth. Ended up sticking with room temp saline rinses, which seemed to help with the swelling too.
I did get a little obsessive about checking for food particles, though. Used a flashlight and everything... probably looked ridiculous. But hey, better that than risking a dry socket, right? I always wondered if those little plastic syringes they give you actually help or just make things worse by poking around too much. Did you use one, or just stick to gentle swishing?
I always wondered if those little plastic syringes they give you actually help or just make things worse by poking around too much.
I get what you mean about being nervous with the syringe. I hesitated at first, since I was worried about dislodging the clot. But after a couple days, my surgeon told me to start using it gently, and honestly, it worked better than just swishing for me. The key was to angle it so the water just kind of flowed over the socket—no blasting or poking. It felt a bit awkward, but I found more food bits that way, especially stuff that managed to sneak in even after careful eating.
Totally agree about water temp too. Room temp saline was the only thing that didn’t make my mouth throb. Cold water was like a jolt, and hot stuff just made everything feel swollen.
I probably looked ridiculous checking my mouth with a phone flashlight every night... but yeah, the paranoia is real. Dry socket is no joke, and I think being a little obsessive probably saved me some trouble.
