One thing I did after my implant was gently swish with salt water (not too hot, not too cold) a few times a day. It kept things cleaner and seemed to help with swelling. Anyone else have tricks for keeping those stitches comfy?
Salt water rinses are a classic for a reason, but I actually found that using a super soft baby toothbrush helped a ton. I’d gently brush around the area to keep food from getting stuck—felt cleaner and less irritated. Ice packs worked for me too, especially in the first couple days. Not everyone loves them, but I swear by them for swelling.
That’s actually a great tip with the baby toothbrush—never thought of that one. My daughter had to get an implant last year and we were so nervous about keeping things clean without hurting her. Ended up doing a lot of salt water rinses too, but she hated the taste after a while. Ice packs were her favorite though, especially when the swelling kicked in. It’s wild how something as simple as cold can make such a difference for comfort. Glad to hear you found what worked for you—it really is trial and error sometimes.
I totally get the salt water struggle—my dentist swore by it, but after a few days I was ready to invent a new flavor just to make it less gross. Ice packs were clutch for me too. It’s wild how high-tech the surgery is, but then you’re basically left with a bag of frozen peas and some salty water to heal up. Trial and error is pretty much the name of the game with this stuff, honestly. Glad your daughter found her comfort zone... sometimes you just gotta improvise.
Ice packs were clutch for me too. It’s wild how high-tech the surgery is, but then you’re basically left with a bag of frozen peas and some salty water to heal up.
Haha, the frozen peas thing is so true—my freezer was basically a graveyard of half-thawed veggie bags for a week. I tried to be all diligent with the salt water, but honestly, after day three it started tasting like old aquarium water. The one thing that surprised me was how much just keeping my mouth still helped. Like, I’d catch myself wanting to talk or laugh (bad move—stitches did NOT appreciate that), so I just kind of became a temporary monk. Also, I found that propping my head up at night with extra pillows made mornings less puffy, though it made me feel like I was sleeping on a pile of laundry.
Did you have any trouble with food? I swear I lived on mashed potatoes and smoothies for longer than I care to admit. Every time I tried to chew on the other side, my tongue would get all confused and poke at the stitches. Bodies are weird.