Man, I remember that itch like it was yesterday. My stitches felt like they were auditioning for a role in “The Great Gum Itch-Off.” Seriously, I kept poking at my cheek with my tongue, convinced something was off. Turns out, that tightness and weird itchiness is just your body’s way of saying, “Hey, I’m working here!” The soreness for me lasted about a week—maybe a bit longer, but nothing unbearable. I was popping ibuprofen and eating a lot of mashed potatoes (which, honestly, wasn’t the worst part).
There was this one night I woke up convinced my stitches were unraveling like a sweater. Spoiler: they weren’t. My dentist said as long as there’s no crazy pain, swelling, or stuff oozing out, it’s probably all good. The tightness eased up after a few days, and the itchiness faded after about a week. Still, I was paranoid every time I smiled too wide or sneezed. Bodies are weird, healing is weirder.
Spoiler: they weren’t. My dentist said as long as there’s no crazy pain, swelling, or stuff oozing out, it’s probably all good.
That itchiness is the worst, right? My kid kept saying her stitches felt “wiggly” and I was convinced something was wrong, but our oral surgeon said pretty much what you heard—unless there’s “crazy pain, swelling, or stuff oozing out,” it’s just part of the healing process. Did you notice if eating made it worse? My daughter said certain foods seemed to irritate things more, especially anything crunchy. Also, did your stitches dissolve on their own or did you have to go back in?
Yeah, eating definitely made things trickier for my son too. He complained that crunchy stuff like crackers or even toast would really bother the stitches, so we stuck to softer foods for a while—lots of yogurt and mashed potatoes. His stitches were the dissolvable kind and took about two weeks to disappear, but I remember worrying they’d never go away. The itchiness was actually a good sign for him, though it drove him nuts. I get the anxiety… every little twinge feels like a red flag at first.
That itchiness drove me crazy too—felt like I wanted to scratch my whole mouth. I also had dissolvable stitches after my implant, and honestly, I was convinced they were just gonna stick around forever. For eating, soups and smoothies were my go-to, but I did try scrambled eggs after a few days and it was fine. Even now, I still flinch at anything crunchy for a while after dental work... can’t help it. The anxiety over every weird feeling is so real, but it does get better once you see the site healing up.
The anxiety over every weird feeling is so real, but it does get better once you see the site healing up.
Totally relate to this. The weird sensations after dental work just mess with your head. I remember thinking every twinge meant something was wrong, but my dentist kept reassuring me it was all part of healing. I also stuck to soft foods way longer than most, just because the thought of crunching anything made me nervous. The itchiness from those stitches was wild—I actually thought I’d developed an allergy or something, but nope, just healing. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one who gets anxious over this stuff.
