Warming up the saltwater made a huge difference for me, too. Here’s what I did: I’d mix about half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of water, then zap it for 15 seconds—just enough so it wasn’t cold, but not hot either. Saved me from buying mouthwash that just burned and made my gums feel worse. Plus, it’s basically free and you can do it as often as you need. The taste isn’t great, but you really do get used to it after a couple days. Just gotta remind yourself not to gulp it down out of habit... learned that the hard way once.
Totally get what you mean about the saltwater rinse. I started doing it after my root canal, too, mostly because the mouthwash my dentist recommended just made everything sting like crazy. The warm water definitely helps—it’s way less of a shock, especially when your mouth is already sensitive.
I found that if I swished gently instead of going full force, it didn’t irritate my gums as much. Plus, like you said, it’s cheap and you don’t have to worry about weird chemicals or alcohol burning your mouth. The only downside for me was remembering to actually do it after every meal... I’d get lazy sometimes and pay for it with extra soreness.
Funny about accidentally swallowing it—been there. That salty aftertaste is brutal. But honestly, I’d take that any day over the harsh mouthwashes. If anyone’s dealing with braces or other dental stuff on top of a root canal, saltwater is way more forgiving.
Yeah, I hear you about the mouthwash sting—some of those alcohol-based ones are just too much, especially after a root canal. Did your dentist mention using a non-alcohol version? Sometimes even those can be irritating, though. I usually tell folks warm saltwater’s great for calming things down, but you’re right, it’s easy to forget to do it regularly. Curious—did you notice any difference in healing time when you were more consistent with the rinses?
I usually tell folks warm saltwater’s great for calming things down, but you’re right, it’s easy to forget to do it regularly.
I totally relate to that. After my last root canal, I tried to stick with saltwater rinses—my dentist said they’d be less harsh than mouthwash. Honestly, when I remembered to do them a couple times a day, the swelling and tenderness seemed to go down faster. But I’ll admit, I’d skip a rinse here and there, and the area always felt more irritated when I did. Non-alcohol mouthwashes still gave me a weird burning sensation, so I ended up just avoiding them until things healed up. Saltwater’s boring but it worked better for me.
That’s really similar to what I went through. I tried a gentle mouthwash after my last root canal, but even the alcohol-free ones seemed to sting and made me worry I was irritating things more. Warm saltwater felt so much kinder, though I had to remind myself constantly or I’d forget a rinse here and there... and then I’d get paranoid about infection. Guess it’s not the most exciting routine, but it honestly helped calm my nerves (and my gums) better than anything else.
