I totally get what you mean about the saltwater. After my braces got adjusted and I had a minor gum procedure, my orthodontist was all about the saltwater rinses too. But honestly, it always made my mouth feel kind of raw, and sometimes I’d get that weird dry feeling after. I ended up switching to an alcohol-free mouthwash pretty quickly, even though I knew I was supposed to wait a bit longer. It just made me feel fresher, and like you said, there’s something about the taste that tricks your brain into thinking it’s working better.
I tried one of those “natural” mouthwashes once—never again. It had clove oil or something, and my mouth felt like it was on fire for hours. I’d rather deal with saltwater than that.
I think as long as you’re gentle and not using anything super harsh, your mouth will probably forgive you for not following the rinse schedule exactly. Everyone’s got their own comfort zone, and honestly, keeping your anxiety down is half the battle when you’re healing up.
Keeping my mouth clean after apicoectomy is driving me nuts
Man, the saltwater thing is such a weird rite of passage, isn’t it? I had a tooth extraction last year and got the same “swish with warm saltwater” instructions. It’s supposed to be gentle, but I swear my mouth felt like I’d gargled with the ocean and then licked a chalkboard. That dry, tight feeling is so real. And yeah, after a couple days, I caved and went for the alcohol-free mouthwash too—minty-fresh beats salty-sad any day.
I hear you on those “natural” options. I tried one that had tea tree oil in it—thought I was being all healthy—but it basically nuked my taste buds for the rest of the day. I don’t know how people do it. At least with saltwater, you know exactly what you’re getting: mild discomfort and a faint memory of potato chips.
Honestly, I think there’s a lot of trial and error with this stuff. The official instructions always sound so strict, but real life doesn’t always cooperate (especially when your mouth feels like it’s been through a blender). I just tried to be gentle with brushing, avoided anything super spicy or acidic, and kept up with the soft foods until things calmed down. My dentist said as long as you’re not using anything harsh or swishing like you’re trying to win a gold medal in mouthwash Olympics, your gums will probably forgive you.
Also, not gonna lie—having something that *feels* clean helps with the mental side of healing too. If minty mouthwash tricks my brain into thinking everything’s okay, I’ll take it. The anxiety is half the battle for sure… especially when you start overthinking every twinge or weird taste.
Anyway, hang in there. It does get better once your mouth stops feeling like it’s under construction 24/7.
Totally relate to the “salty-sad” mouthwash blues. I’m in braces right now, and keeping things clean is already a circus, but after my gum surgery last year? The saltwater routine was like some weird dental hazing. I get why they recommend it—no chemicals, won’t mess up healing—but it’s just not satisfying. I tried to stick to the script, but after day three, I was desperate for that minty freshness too. My ortho warned me about even the alcohol-free stuff, but honestly, using it gently never seemed to cause any issues for me.
One thing that actually helped a bit was using a super soft baby toothbrush for the first week. Sounds ridiculous, but it was way less stressful than trying to angle a regular brush around stitches and swelling. For me, the anxiety about infection was almost worse than the actual pain... so I totally get wanting to feel “clean,” even if it’s just psychological.
I do think dentists are a little over-cautious sometimes with post-op care. Like, yes, healing is important, but we’re human—nobody wants to walk around feeling like their mouth is a science experiment.
I do think dentists are a little over-cautious sometimes with post-op care. Like, yes, healing is important, but we’re human—nobody wants to walk around feeling like their mouth is a science experiment.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’m kinda glad my dentist was strict after my apico. I was itching to bust out the minty stuff too, but a friend of mine ignored the “just saltwater” rule and ended up with a nasty infection—total horror story. The salty rinse is gross, but it’s like, the dental version of chicken soup: boring but it works.
That said, I totally relate to the baby toothbrush hack. I used one after my wisdom teeth came out and it was a lifesaver. Felt like I was brushing with a feather, but at least I wasn’t terrified of popping a stitch.
I guess I’d rather deal with a week of salty sadness than risk a do-over surgery, but yeah, it’s not exactly glamorous.
The saltwater rinse is the MVP of post-op boredom, for sure. I remember feeling like I was gargling ocean water for a week straight. But hey, better that than dealing with a zombie mouth infection, right? Baby toothbrushes are weirdly comforting—like dental security blankets. Hang in there, it gets less gross eventually.
