- Totally hear you on the lidocaine patch—my skin didn’t love it either, got all blotchy and irritated.
- For the ice pack, I found a soft neck pillow (like the travel kind) helps keep it in place on the side of your face without needing hands. Not perfect, but better than nothing.
- Alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen is a solid approach, just gotta keep an eye on the timing.
- Pain after dental surgery can be such a hassle, but it sounds like you’re managing it as best as anyone could.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself if things feel slow—healing’s not always straightforward.
Alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen is a solid approach, just gotta keep an eye on the timing.
Do you set alarms for your meds? I get so paranoid I’ll mess up the timing and double-dose by accident. Also, is anyone else shocked at how much those lidocaine patches cost? I tried cutting them in half to save money, but then they just irritated twice as much skin.
I get super anxious about messing up the timing too. Setting alarms actually makes me more stressed, weirdly enough—like, I’ll check the clock a dozen times anyway. Instead, I write down every dose on a sticky note and keep it next to my meds. Not exactly high-tech, but it works for me.
About those lidocaine patches: honestly, I tried them once and they just made my skin red and itchy. Didn’t notice much pain relief either, so I stopped buying them. The price is wild for something that barely helped. I switched to an ice pack wrapped in a towel when the pain was really bad after my root tip surgery. Not as convenient, but at least it didn’t cost $20 a pop.
Has anyone had any luck with those topical gels? I saw some at the pharmacy but wasn’t sure if they’d just irritate my mouth more.
Sticky notes for the win—same here. I’ve got a whole rainbow of them on my bathroom mirror. I tried one of those topical gels (think it was Orajel or something similar) after my last oral surgery. It numbed things for maybe 15 minutes, but then my tongue felt weird for hours. Didn’t really help with the deep ache, just made me drool more than usual. Ice packs seem old-school, but honestly, they’re what I keep going back to. At least you know what you’re getting.
That tongue-numbing thing is the worst—I remember biting mine and not even noticing until hours later. I totally get what you mean about the drool, too. Ice packs might be old-school, but there’s something comforting about them, like a security blanket for your jaw. I’ve tried those fancy mouth rinses they give you, but honestly, nothing beats a good old bag of frozen peas.