I totally get the paranoia about missing spots—sometimes I’ll floss and still feel like there’s something lurking between my teeth. My dentist suggested those little interdental brushes, but honestly, they just made my gums even angrier at first. Did you notice if the saltwater rinses actually sped up healing, or was it more of a temporary relief thing? I’ve been hesitant to try anything new since my gums seem to overreact to just about everything...
My dentist suggested those little interdental brushes, but honestly, they just made my gums even angrier at first.
Funny you mention that—I had the opposite experience. At first, my gums bled like crazy, but after a couple weeks, they actually calmed down. Saltwater rinses felt soothing for me, but honestly, I’m not convinced they did much for healing. Mostly just made my mouth feel cleaner for a bit. Maybe it’s one of those things that’s super individual?
Saltwater rinses felt soothing for me, but honestly, I’m not convinced they did much for healing.
Same here—saltwater just made my mouth feel less gross, but I doubt it actually helped my gums recover faster. I’m curious, did you try switching brush sizes? I found the tiny ones were way less harsh on my gums than the bigger ones.
I totally relate to the saltwater thing—
That was our experience too. My kiddo’s dentist recommended it post-filling, but honestly, it just seemed to calm things down for a few minutes, not actually speed up healing. Maybe it helps with swelling, but I’m not sold.“saltwater just made my mouth feel less gross, but I doubt it actually helped my gums recover faster.”
About toothbrush sizes, I got so anxious about hurting my child’s gums that we ended up trying three different ones. The tiny heads were definitely gentler, but I kept worrying if they were cleaning well enough between those tight teeth. It felt like a tradeoff—less irritation, but maybe not as thorough? Did anyone else end up switching back and forth between sizes, or is that just my overthinking?
And what about flossing—did you notice your kids’ gums getting more sensitive with those little flossers? I’m always so nervous about making things worse even though I know we have to keep those spots clean...
We did the toothbrush shuffle too. I’d start with the smallest one for a few days after anything sensitive, then switch back to a regular kids’ brush once things calmed down. Never felt like the tiny ones got everything, but at least they didn’t make things worse. With flossers, my kid’s gums bled a bit at first—dentist said that’s actually normal until the gums get used to it. I just tried to go super gentle and stopped if it looked too irritated. Still feels like a guessing game most nights...
