It’s wild how much you start craving just...chewing something.
Seriously, I had to keep reminding my kid that apples would NOT be her friend for a while. She was eyeing the snack drawer like a caged animal. We did the mashed potato thing too, but she got so bored she started pretending to “chew” her pudding for fun. I hear you on the advice—every nurse told us something different. At one point, I was convinced even breathing too hard would pop the socket open. Salt water rinses became our new family hobby...who knew?
She was eyeing the snack drawer like a caged animal.
That is exactly how my son acted—he kept making up “chewing games” with Jell-O just to trick his brain. I swear, it’s the boredom as much as the pain that gets to them. And yeah, the salt water rinses...never thought I’d be so invested in whether something was “swishy” enough. For us, popsicles were a game changer (as long as it wasn’t anything with seeds). Not every nurse agreed about those, but they kept him distracted and hydrated.
For us, popsicles were a game changer (as long as it wasn’t anything with seeds). Not every nurse agreed about those, but they kept him distracted and hydrated.
Funny you mention popsicles—I got mixed advice on those too. My surgeon actually told me to avoid anything too cold, since it could make the pain worse. I ended up sticking with room-temp smoothies and cold packs on my jaw instead. The boredom was real though... I watched way too much TV just to keep my mind off snacking.
That’s interesting, I got told the same thing—no super cold stuff. I remember eyeing the popsicles in the freezer and just thinking, “Is it really worth the risk?” Ended up chickening out and stuck with lukewarm soup and those meal replacement shakes. I get nervous about anything that might make the throbbing worse. Honestly, I was so anxious about accidentally doing something that’d mess up the healing, I probably overthought every single snack.
The boredom is no joke, either. After my extraction, I spent hours just shuffling between the couch and my bed, half-watching reruns and trying not to think about food. It’s weird how much you miss chewing, right? I kept worrying I’d never want to eat crunchy things again. The worst part for me was just feeling so out of it and paranoid about every twinge in my mouth. I swore I could feel the socket pulsing some days, which probably wasn’t even real.
Sounds like you’re handling it really well, though. It’s tough when you get mixed messages from the dental team—one nurse says “go for it,” another says “don’t even think about it.” I guess everyone’s mouth is a little different. For me, gentle cold packs on my jaw helped more than anything edible. And, yeah, distraction is key. I started a puzzle app on my phone just so I’d stop obsessing over what I couldn’t eat.
Hang in there. Dry socket is honestly the worst, but it does get better eventually. I was convinced mine would never heal, but it did... just took a bit longer than I hoped.
I totally get what you mean about missing crunchy food—I remember craving chips so badly, even though I knew it was a terrible idea. The paranoia about every little ache is real too. I’d sit there debating if I was making things worse just by drinking through a straw (which, turns out, is a big no). Did you find anything besides puzzles that kept your mind off it? I ended up obsessively reorganizing my bookshelf, which sounds silly but actually helped pass the time.