Maybe it’s okay to trust the healing process a bit more than I did...
I totally get where you’re coming from. After my wisdom tooth extraction, I was so paranoid about dry socket that I basically lived on yogurt and mashed potatoes for a week. Looking back, I think I made myself more miserable than necessary. My dentist said something similar—gentle rinsing and soft foods, but not to obsess. I guess there’s a fine line between careful and overthinking it. It’s hard not to stress, though, especially when you read all those horror stories online. Hang in there, it really does get easier with each day.
Did you ever feel like you were checking the extraction site every hour? I got so obsessed with looking for signs of infection or dry socket that I probably slowed down my own healing. How long did it actually take for your pain to ease up? I’m wondering if my anxiety is making it worse than it really is.
I remember that feeling all too well—felt like I was playing detective with a flashlight, checking every hour for any weird changes. Honestly, my pain started easing after about a week, but the anxiety definitely made it feel worse. Sometimes the worry is rougher than the actual healing.
That flashlight routine... yeah, I’ve been there. It’s almost like you become your own private investigator, except the only “mystery” is whether that weird twinge means disaster or just your mouth healing. I remember after my wisdom tooth extraction, I checked the socket so much I was convinced I’d memorized every nook and cranny.
For me, the pain was intense for a few days, but it was honestly the mental side that got to me. Every time I felt a new ache or saw something slightly off in the mirror, I’d spiral into thinking something was wrong. Looking back, half of those “emergencies” were probably just normal healing stuff. That said, I do think some anxiety is justified—dry sockets are no joke—but it’s wild how much our brains can amplify things.
One thing that helped me keep my sanity (well, relatively speaking) was distracting myself with TV shows or podcasts during those first few days. If I sat around thinking about my mouth all day, it just made everything worse. Also, not sure if anyone else did this, but I started ranking foods by how little effort they took to eat... applesauce and mashed potatoes became my best friends for a while.
I will say though—sometimes it’s good to check in with the dentist if something feels really off. But most of the time? It’s just your body doing its thing. The healing process is rarely as neat and tidy as those pamphlets make it sound.
Curious if anyone else found themselves Googling symptoms at 2am? Or maybe that was just me being a bit dramatic...
Flashlight checks at 2am? Been there, done that—honestly, I think it’s way more common than people admit. The anxiety is real, especially when every new ache feels like a red flag. Distraction really is underrated for sanity. And yeah, applesauce basically became its own food group for me too.
