"Did you notice if sleeping positions made any difference? I found propping myself up slightly helped ease the swelling overnight..."
I had a similar experience after my bone graft procedure. Sleeping slightly elevated definitely helped me manage the swelling and discomfort, especially in the first few nights. Lying flat seemed to increase pressure around my jaw area, making the pain more noticeable. I also found that using a supportive pillow to keep my head stable prevented me from accidentally rolling onto the affected side during sleep, which was a huge relief.
It's interesting how differently our bodies respond to these things. Heat packs were beneficial for me as well, particularly after the initial swelling subsided. Ice packs felt good initially, but like you mentioned, they eventually made my jaw feel tighter and more uncomfortable.
One other thing that helped me was gentle jaw exercises recommended by my dentist—nothing strenuous, just slow movements to keep things from stiffening up too much. Might be worth asking your dentist about if you're still struggling with tightness or discomfort. Hope things improve for you soon... recovery can be tough, but it does get better with time.
I noticed the same thing about sleeping positions. Propping myself up a bit was definitely helpful, but I couldn't get comfortable with heat packs at all... they just seemed to make the swelling worse for me. Weird how everyone reacts differently. One thing that did help was sipping cold drinks slowly throughout the day—seemed to numb things a little and reduced discomfort. Recovery's rough at first, but hang in there, it really does ease up after a few days.
Totally relate on the heat packs thing... I tried them once and my face blew up like a chipmunk, not my best look lol. Cold drinks helped me too, especially smoothies—just make sure they're not too thick or you'll regret it (trust me). Did anyone else find certain foods or drinks unexpectedly painful? I swear orange juice was like battery acid for me at first, wasn't expecting that at all.
I feel you on the orange juice pain—I winced just reading that! But weirdly enough, my kiddo had the opposite experience. He couldn't handle cold stuff at all, smoothies included. They made him cringe and hold his jaw every single time. Instead, lukewarm soups and room-temp drinks were his thing. I thought warm soup would irritate the area, but it actually seemed to soothe him. Maybe it depends on the person or how sensitive your mouth is after surgery?
Also, about the heat packs... we used them sparingly and wrapped in a towel to avoid swelling. Worked okay for us, but I can totally see how they'd cause trouble if your skin is sensitive or you're prone to swelling easily. Guess everyone's healing journey is a bit different, huh?
I totally get the sensitivity thing—after my bone graft, cold stuff was a nightmare for me too. Weirdly enough though, room-temp drinks didn't help much either. I found slightly warm herbal teas (like chamomile or peppermint) were soothing without causing extra irritation. Heat packs were tricky...I tried them once or twice but ended up with swelling, so I stuck to gentle ice packs wrapped in cloth instead. Like you said, everyone's mouth seems to have its own quirks after surgery. Hope things ease up soon!
