My kiddo had their wisdom teeth out last year, and I swear we went through every flavorless toothpaste in the drugstore aisle. Anything minty was a hard no—one brush and they were in tears. The lukewarm saline rinse wasn’t exactly their favorite either, but it really did seem to help with swelling and keeping things clean. I also learned the hard way that straws are a big nope... lesson learned after a milkshake incident. Patience and soft foods were key for us.
The lukewarm saline rinse wasn’t exactly their favorite either, but it really did seem to help with swelling and keeping things clean.
Totally agree on the saline rinses—even if nobody loves the taste, they’re so underrated for healing. I actually tried a gentle baby toothbrush for my teen, which helped a bit with sensitivity. The straw thing is tricky... took us two days to figure out why things weren’t healing right.
I actually tried a gentle baby toothbrush for my teen, which helped a bit with sensitivity. The straw thing is tricky... took us two days to figure out why things weren’t healing right.
The straw thing got me too—nobody warned me about it, and I was so focused on saving money that I just reused whatever was at home, which probably made it worse. With my wisdom teeth, I kept thinking I could use a straw if I was careful, but nope... dry socket city.
For the saline rinses, they told me to buy the fancy pre-mixed packets, but honestly, just salt and warm water worked fine (and way cheaper). I was so paranoid about infection that I boiled the water every time, which maybe was overkill? Still, better than risking a trip back to the dentist.
Has anyone tried those disposable oral swabs instead of a toothbrush at first? I thought about it but didn’t want to spend extra unless it really made a difference. Curious if it’s worth the couple bucks or just another thing they try to sell you.
I totally get the anxiety around infection—after my extraction, I was basically living in fear of dry socket. The straw thing tripped me up too. I thought if I was super gentle, it’d be fine, but nope... ended up with a weird ache that freaked me out for days. Never again.
About the oral swabs: I actually caved and bought a pack because my mouth felt so gross the first few days and I was scared to use a toothbrush anywhere near the stitches. They were kind of helpful for gently wiping away that fuzzy feeling, but honestly, they’re not magic. If you’re careful with a super soft baby brush and just avoid the site, it’s probably about the same. The swabs were nice for peace of mind, though—less anxiety about accidentally poking something.
I also boiled water for rinses! I kept thinking maybe it was overkill, but after reading about all those horror stories online, I figured better safe than sorry. It’s wild how much conflicting advice there is out there... half my friends said don’t bother, but I couldn’t relax unless I did it.
Still can’t believe nobody warns you about half this stuff ahead of time.
