I’m with you on those numbing gels—tasted like putting my tongue on a battery. I actually found sipping lukewarm tea helped more than anything else, though maybe that’s just me being old school. Never got the hang of the ice packs... felt too dramatic for my taste.
Never got the hang of the ice packs... felt too dramatic for my taste.
Haha, yeah, ice packs always made me feel like I was prepping for some kind of sports injury instead of just sore teeth. Lukewarm tea’s a solid move though—honestly, I used to go with warm water rinses and it seemed to help more than any of those gels. The gels just made my mouth feel weirdly tingly and then numb in all the wrong places. One thing that actually worked for me (don’t laugh) was chewing on silicone baby spoons—super gentle but gave my jaw something to do without wrecking my brackets. Kinda goofy, but hey, whatever works...
Silicone baby spoons, that's genius. I totally get the gels thing too—my mouth would just feel like it was buzzing for no reason and then I'd still be uncomfortable. For me, I weirdly found that biting down gently on a cold, clean washcloth helped more than anything else. Not sure why, but maybe it was just the right amount of pressure? I always felt ridiculous doing it, but when your teeth are throbbing, you kinda stop caring how you look.
That’s interesting, because I actually tried the cold washcloth thing and just couldn’t get past the texture. Maybe I’m just weirdly sensitive, but it made me more anxious—like, what if there’s lint or something? I ended up just sticking with ice water sips (way cheaper than buying special stuff too), and that helped dull everything for a bit. It’s not fancy, but when you’re on a tight budget, sometimes simple is best...
I ended up just sticking with ice water sips (way cheaper than buying special stuff too), and that helped dull everything for a bit.
My daughter’s been doing the same thing—ice water is her go-to. She tried the cold washcloth trick but kept fussing about the “weird feeling” on her lips, so I get where you’re coming from. For her, even popsicles are hit or miss. Sometimes it really is the simple, cheap stuff that works best, especially when everything else just feels off. One thing she does like is holding a cold spoon against her cheek. Not sure why, but hey, whatever helps...
