When my daughter got her wisdom teeth out, she ended up with a dry socket too. I totally relate to the “walking on eggshells” thing—she was so nervous about even talking too much or laughing. The biggest help for us was making a checklist: gentle saltwater rinse (half-hearted swishing, honestly), ice packs, and a timer for her pain meds. We also stocked up on applesauce and those little pudding cups. She hated feeling “gross” but just changing her pillowcase and putting on fresh pajamas seemed to lift her mood a bit. And yeah, we skipped flossing for a while, no regrets.
Skipping flossing makes sense when things are super sensitive, but I actually found using a soft, flexible floss pick (just for the front teeth, nowhere near the socket) helped me feel a little cleaner. Totally get the fear of messing something up, though. For me, keeping up with gentle oral care—even if it’s just a quick brush and rinse—helped with that “gross” feeling more than I expected. Everyone’s comfort zone is different, though.
I totally get what you mean about wanting to feel clean, even when everything hurts. I’ve honestly been super paranoid about brushing too close to the dry socket… like, I’ll stand there staring at my toothbrush for way too long trying to figure out if I’m going to mess something up. Haven’t dared to floss anywhere near the area either, but hearing you used a soft pick just on the front teeth makes me wonder if I’m being too careful? Or maybe not careful enough? Ugh.
That “gross” feeling is real, though. Even after a gentle brush and mouthwash, it’s like my mouth never feels totally fresh. I keep thinking maybe it’s just in my head, but then again, I’m always worried about getting food stuck back there and making things worse. Did you ever get that weird taste that just won’t go away? Is that normal with a dry socket? The nurse said it’s part of the healing or whatever, but it still freaks me out.
I keep reading different things about what’s safe—some people say salt water rinses help, others say don’t swish at all for a while. I’m kind of terrified of dislodging whatever is left in there. How did you figure out what was okay for you? Was it just trial and error? I feel like every little twinge or ache sends me into panic mode.
Also, random question… did you ever get nervous about eating anything except soup or pudding? I’m living off yogurt right now because chewing feels like playing with fire. Wondering if I’m overreacting or if I should just accept this as my life for the next week.
I keep thinking maybe it’s just in my head, but then again, I’m always worried about getting food stuck back there and making things worse.
Totally relate to the “gross” feeling—mine lasted way longer than I expected, and the weird taste drove me nuts. I found that super gentle salt water rinses (like, just letting it sit in my mouth and tilt my head) helped a bit, but yeah, I was scared of swishing too. For brushing, I stuck with a baby toothbrush and just sort of hovered near the socket, which felt silly but worked. Eating was basically a game of “how soft can this food get?”—I did try mashed potatoes after a few days, but even that made me nervous. It’s hard to know what’s too careful, honestly. Trial and error sums it up for me, but I think it’s better to be cautious than sorry.
I get the urge to be super careful, but honestly, I think I went a little overboard with the salt water rinses and barely ate anything for days. Looking back, I wonder if being too cautious actually slowed things down for me. My dentist said gentle rinsing was fine after 24 hours, and I stressed myself out way more than needed. Maybe it’s okay to trust the healing process a bit more than I did...
