Completely agree about the patches—tried them after my apicoectomy and honestly, they felt like a placebo more than anything else. Ice and heat rotation is old school but it’s the only thing that really got me through those first nights. I know rinsing with saltwater stings, but it kept the swelling down way better than skipping it. Also, ibuprofen is boring but dependable. I tried switching to acetaminophen for a bit, but it just didn’t touch the nerve pain the same way. Sometimes you just have to lean into the basics, even if they’re not flashy or new.
My kid had to go through this last year, and honestly, I was hoping those new patches would be a miracle. Nope—total letdown. She said it was like having a sticker on her face for no reason. Ended up just doing the old ice pack shuffle and ibuprofen, too. Saltwater rinses were a battle (lots of dramatic faces), but I swear it helped with the swelling.
I get wanting to try new stuff, but sometimes the basics are just what works. Acetaminophen didn’t do much for her either—ibuprofen was the only thing that took the edge off enough for her to sleep. Not fancy, but it got us through. If someone invents a pain relief method that doesn’t taste like salty ocean water or make you smell like a pharmacy, sign me up...
That’s wild, I just had my first root tip surgery a couple weeks ago and I was so anxious about the pain after. My oral surgeon gave me a sample of those patches too—honestly, I couldn’t tell if they did anything except make my cheek feel sticky. Ended up following a kind of routine: ice every hour or so, ibuprofen at regular intervals, and then the dreaded saltwater rinse. I kept reading that saltwater helps but it stings like crazy at first. I wish there was something less gross-tasting, but at least it seemed to bring down the swelling after a day or two. Acetaminophen didn’t cut it for me either. I guess sometimes you just have to stick with what works, even if it’s not fancy or new.
Those patches didn’t do much for me either—just felt weird and kind of messy. I’ve always wondered if the saltwater rinse is really necessary, since it stings so much. Did your swelling go down pretty fast? I felt like mine lingered for almost a week, even with the ice packs and ibuprofen. I get so nervous about infections, so I end up rinsing more than they say... probably overkill. Anyone else feel like the aftertaste from the rinse is worse than the pain sometimes?
Yeah, the saltwater rinse is a weird one—my dentist swears by it, but I’ve also found it can sting like crazy if there’s any raw spot. I think it helps a bit with healing, but I’ve overdone it before and ended up with more irritation. Swelling stuck around for me too, even with icing. The aftertaste is brutal sometimes... almost metallic? I’d rather deal with that than risk infection though. For what it’s worth, spacing out the rinses a little more seemed to help my mouth calm down faster.
