- 100% relate to the anxiety part. For me, the worry about dry socket was way worse than anything else—kept Googling every weird twinge.
- I tried the syringe after a week, too. Honestly, it was fine if I went slow, but I get why you’d be nervous. The first time felt weird, but nothing bad happened.
- The paranoia about food getting stuck is real. My dentist also said not to stress unless there’s actual pain or swelling.
- Feels like the more you read online, the scarier it seems. In reality, most people heal up just fine.
- It does get better with time, at least for me. First extraction = panic. Second one = meh, just annoying.
The anxiety really is the worst part, isn’t it? My kid had an extraction recently and I felt like I was on edge for days, watching for every tiny sign of trouble. It’s wild how much you can overthink things after reading too much online... but honestly, things settled down way faster than I expected. The syringe thing seemed intimidating at first, but once we got the hang of it, it was just another step in the routine. Hang in there—it really does get less stressful with time.
I get what you’re saying about the anxiety easing off, but honestly, I’m not sure it’s ever as simple as just “getting used to it.” I had my first extraction last week and was told all the usual stuff—don’t freak out, just follow the instructions, etc. But when that pain kicked in a few days later, I was convinced I’d done something wrong or that I was heading straight for dry socket territory. The more I read online, the more I started doubting every little thing. Like, is this normal pain? Is it too much? Should it be getting better by now?
The syringe thing was a whole saga for me. The dentist explained it, but it felt weird and honestly kind of gross to do it myself. I kept worrying I’d mess up and somehow make things worse. My partner kept telling me I was being paranoid, but when you’re in pain and you’ve got a mouth wound, it’s hard not to spiral a bit.
I know a lot of people say things settle down quickly, but in my case, it felt like forever before the pain eased up. Maybe some folks get lucky or maybe I’m just more sensitive to this stuff. Either way, I don’t think the anxiety just disappears with time—at least not for everyone. And reading forums sometimes makes it worse because you see every horror story out there.
I wish dentists would be a bit more upfront about how much of this is totally normal and how much is worth worrying about. Or maybe I just need to chill out more...easier said than done though.
You’re definitely not alone in feeling that way. Even with all the instructions and reassurance, it’s easy to second-guess every twinge or weird sensation. I’ve seen plenty of people get anxious about the syringe too—honestly, it’s not the most intuitive thing, and it can feel awkward at first. Pain can linger longer than we expect, and everyone’s timeline is different. I wish there was a clearer line between “normal healing” and “something’s wrong,” but sometimes it really is just a waiting game...and that uncertainty can be tough.
