The pastel brush thing seriously made me laugh—I got handed a baby blue one and just stared at it like, “Is this supposed to make me feel brave?” I was super jumpy about the stitches too. Every time I brushed my teeth, I’d freeze up if I even got close. My oral surgeon said three days of avoiding the area, but my nerves said more like a week. Honestly, I was scared to eat anything that wasn’t soup for days. Looking back, taking it slow probably saved me a lot of stress.
I get where you're coming from. Those little brushes look harmless but I was convinced I’d mess something up if I got too close to the stitches. I ended up eating oatmeal and yogurt for almost a week... probably overkill, but hey, better safe than sorry. Taking it slow definitely helped my nerves too.
I get why you’d be nervous about the brushes. I remember after my implant, I was so worried about snagging a stitch that I just used a saltwater rinse and avoided the area for days. But honestly, my dentist told me those little brushes are safe as long as you’re gentle and don’t force anything. Did your surgeon give you any tips on when it’s okay to start cleaning around the stitches? I waited until the swelling went down a bit.
Eating soft foods is smart, but a whole week of oatmeal and yogurt sounds rough. I managed with scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes too—easier to get some variety. Did you have any pain, or was it more just nerves? For me, once I saw the stitches starting to dissolve, I felt way less anxious about messing things up.
It’s funny how something so small can make you second-guess every bite or brush. Did you notice any swelling or weird taste while healing? Sometimes that’s a sign to check in with your dentist, but most of the time it’s just normal healing.
Eating soft foods is smart, but a whole week of oatmeal and yogurt sounds rough.
I totally relate to this. My wallet was happy with oatmeal, but my taste buds were begging for mercy by day three. I tried to get creative with instant mashed potatoes and even blended up some canned soup (not my proudest moment). As for the brushes, I kept second-guessing if I should just stick with saltwater rinses because I didn’t want to risk messing up the stitches—especially since another appointment means more bills. My surgeon said gentle brushing after 48 hours was fine, but honestly, I waited until things didn’t look so angry in the mirror. Swelling stuck around for a bit, but no weird taste here—just a lot of overthinking every bite.
I get the hesitation with brushing near the stitches—mine looked super sensitive for days and I was convinced one wrong move would undo everything. I ended up using a baby toothbrush with barely any pressure, just to feel like I was doing something. Saltwater rinses helped but I always wondered if that was enough to keep things clean, or if skipping brushing for too long would make things worse. Did anyone here actually get food stuck around their stitches? I kept imagining it but never really saw anything obvious.
Also, how long did your swelling last? Mine was almost gone after a week, but the area still felt kind of tight and weird for a while. Not painful, just... off. Is that normal?
