Ice packs were my MVP after my apicoectomy—seriously, I just rotated two of them for the first day and it kept the swelling way down. Also, I stuck to soft foods (hello, mashed potatoes and yogurt) for longer than I thought I’d need, just because chewing felt weird. One weird thing: rinsing with salt water actually made my mouth feel less gross, but I had to wait until my dentist said it was cool. Anyone have any random tricks that made recovery less miserable?
I had the same surgery last year and was kind of surprised by how much just keeping my head elevated helped with swelling. I slept propped up with a couple pillows for the first two nights—felt awkward, but I noticed less puffiness in the mornings. Did you have any issues with the stitches? Mine kept catching on my tongue, which was annoying. Also, did your dentist mention anything about avoiding straws? I heard mixed things but skipped them just in case.
Man, the stitches were the worst part for me. I swear my tongue was on a mission to poke at them 24/7... and yeah, totally annoying when they’d catch. As for the straws, my dentist was super strict about it—no straws, no spitting, basically nothing fun for a week. Supposedly it can mess with the healing, but honestly, I think they just want us to suffer with awkward sips from a cup. Did you get those dissolvable stitches or the ones you have to go back for?
Ugh, I totally get the tongue struggle. It’s like your mouth suddenly gets a mind of its own and just can’t leave those stitches alone. Mine were the dissolvable kind, but “dissolvable” is a bit of a stretch—felt like they stuck around forever. And the no straw rule? Yeah, it feels like dentists are just inventing new ways to make us look ridiculous sipping from a cup like we’re toddlers. But I will say, as much as I wanted to rebel and use a straw, my friend ignored that advice and ended up with dry socket... trust me, not worth it.
I know it’s annoying, but sticking to their “no fun” rules actually does speed up healing. I tried to see it as a challenge—like, how creative can I get with soup and smoothies? Not glamorous, but hey, at least it’s temporary. Hang in there. It gets better way quicker than it feels right now.
That “no straw” rule cracked me up too, but yeah, it’s legit—my cousin ignored it after his wisdom teeth and ended up with a world of pain. For me, I found keeping my head elevated at night actually made a difference with swelling. Not the most comfortable sleep, but it did help. And I swear by those little travel-size toothpaste tubes; less pressure when brushing around stitches.
