That drying step is the worst. I swear, the first time I tried to use one of those temp kits, I ended up sitting on the bathroom floor with my mouth wide open, waving a magazine at my face and hoping for the best. I thought about using a hair dryer too, but then pictured myself accidentally burning my lip or something. Not worth it.
And yeah, the taste is something else. Like someone tried to make Play-Doh into a dental product. I kept thinking, “I’m definitely going to choke on this, right?” Every time I took a sip of water, I was convinced it would just float away and I’d have to start over.
I totally get checking for infection every five minutes. I kept shining my phone flashlight in my mouth, trying to decide if things looked “normal” or if I was about to lose half my jaw. The instructions are always like, “Just dry, fill, done!” but in reality it’s a whole ordeal.
Salt water rinses did help me feel less gross, even if it’s just a placebo. The waiting is honestly the hardest part. Two days feels like two years when you’re paranoid about your teeth.
My kid chipped a tooth last year, and those temp kits are honestly a nightmare. Trying to get a squirmy eight-year-old to keep their mouth open and “let it dry” was basically impossible. We ended up using a paper towel and just crossing our fingers. The taste made her gag, so I totally get what you mean about that weird Play-Doh flavor. Salt water rinses did seem to help her too, even if it was just for peace of mind. The waiting drove me nuts—I kept checking for swelling or redness every hour.
Those temp kits are a pain, aren’t they? I tried one years ago when I cracked a molar after biting into a popcorn kernel. The instructions made it sound easy, but keeping the area dry was nearly impossible—felt like trying to tape up a leaky pipe underwater. I ended up using a hair dryer on the cool setting (probably not dentist-approved, but desperate times…). Still, it barely stuck. That taste you mentioned is awful; mine was like chewing on rubber bands and chalk.
I totally get the constant checking for swelling. I remember waking up in the night just to feel my jaw and make sure it wasn’t ballooning up. What helped me most was rinsing with warm salt water every few hours and sticking to soft foods—soups, mashed potatoes, yogurt. Ice packs were handy too if anything felt sore.
Honestly, waiting is the hardest part. The anxiety over infection or pain can be worse than the tooth itself. But salt water and patience go a long way, even if it’s just for your own peace of mind.
Not gonna lie, I tried the salt water rinse thing and it just made me super paranoid about accidentally swallowing a chunk of the tooth or that weird temp stuff.
I feel this so much, but honestly, sometimes distraction works better for me than rinsing every few hours. I just end up obsessing more. Streaming dumb comedies and eating cold applesauce (with the other side of my mouth) was my survival mode. Maybe not dentist-approved, but hey... whatever keeps the nerves in check, right?“Honestly, waiting is the hardest part. The anxiety over infection or pain can be worse than the tooth itself.”
I totally get the distraction thing—it’s honestly the only way I survived the wait last time. Rinsing just made me more anxious too, plus I kept worrying about losing that temp filling. Applesauce and Netflix isn’t fancy, but it works. Sometimes you just gotta do what helps you cope, dentist-approved or not.
