I know a lot of people say “as long as there’s no pus or fever, you’re fine,” but honestly, that’s not always the whole picture. I had dissolvable stitches after my last implant and they didn’t just fall out neatly—they got all stringy and gross, and yeah, I definitely poked at them with my tongue too much. Ended up with a weird taste for a few days. My swelling actually came back a bit around day 8, which freaked me out, but my dentist said some ups and downs can happen as the tissue heals.
The “fuzzy” look is off-putting, but I’d still keep an eye on anything that seems off—like if the swelling gets worse instead of better, or if you notice a bad smell. Sometimes things can go sideways even without the classic infection signs. I wouldn’t panic over every twinge, but trust your gut if something feels wrong. For me, jaw tightness stuck around for almost two weeks, which I didn’t expect. It’s not always as textbook as people make it sound...
Totally relate to the stringy, weird stitch situation—mine looked like dental floss gone rogue for days. I kept thinking, “Is this thing supposed to be hanging on for dear life?” Couldn’t resist poking at it with my tongue either, which probably didn’t help. That jaw tightness is real too... I felt like I’d tried to bite into a brick. Swelling did this annoying on-again, off-again thing for me too. Honestly, the whole process was way less predictable than I expected. If anything smells funky or you start feeling super run-down though, definitely worth checking in with your dentist. Otherwise, just gotta ride out the awkward mouth phase, I guess.
mine looked like dental floss gone rogue for days
Haha, that’s the perfect description. I kept wondering if I’d have to pay extra if the stitches fell out early or something. The whole unpredictable healing thing is so stressful, especially when you’re budgeting for this stuff. I wish they’d give clearer info about what’s “normal weird” versus “expensive problem.”
Yeah, the “dental floss gone rogue” look is spot on. I remember staring at mine in the mirror thinking, is it supposed to dangle like that? The surgeon told me dissolvable stitches could fall out early or hang around for weeks, and apparently both are “normal.” But nobody really says what counts as too early. I half-expected a bill if one popped out before my follow-up.
The cost thing is so real. I wish they gave you a chart: “If your stitches do X, don’t panic. If they do Y, call us.” Instead it’s just... vague reassurance and Google doomscrolling. Did anyone else get weird swelling that looked worse after the stitches fell out? Mine puffed up for a couple days and then settled down, but I was convinced something went wrong.
It’s wild how much of this process feels like guesswork when you’re not a dentist. Would be nice if they were clearer about what’s just ugly-but-fine versus actually needing to come back in (and pay more).
I get what you mean about wishing for a simple chart or clearer instructions—honestly, I felt the same way after my kid’s oral surgery. But in our case, the surgeon was actually pretty upfront about what to watch for, like specific signs of infection or bleeding that’s not stopping. Maybe it varies by office? I do think a lot of the “ugly but normal” stuff just freaks us out because we’re expecting things to look tidy right away. When my daughter’s stitches started dissolving, it looked worse before it got better, and I was super anxious. The swelling went up for a couple days too, then faded on its own. Sometimes I wonder if they don’t want to overload us with info and just hope we’ll call if something seems off... but yeah, it’d be nice if they spelled out more of those in-between scenarios instead of leaving us guessing (and googling).