That cheek-biting is the worst—happened to me too after my first root canal, and I didn’t even notice until the numbness wore off. I get wanting to baby that side for a while; honestly, I was paranoid about chewing there for weeks. The tenderness is so normal though, and poking at it with your tongue is basically a reflex at this point. I do kind of appreciate when dentists walk me through things, but sometimes I wish they’d just let me zone out with my headphones. Funny how the anticipation is always way worse than the actual procedure.
Totally relate to that weird urge to poke at the sore spot—can’t help it. I was surprised by how quickly the tenderness faded, honestly. I do appreciate the dentist explaining things, but sometimes I just want to tune out too. Anticipation really is the worst part.
I swear, the second my dentist said “don’t chew on that side for a bit,” it was like my brain made it a mission to test the limits. That poking urge is real. The anticipation messed with me more than the actual root canal, honestly. By the time the numbness wore off, I was like...wait, that’s it?
That poking urge is real.
Totally get what you mean about the “don’t chew on that side” thing—my brain basically turned it into a challenge too. Honestly, the anxiety before dental stuff is always worse for me than the actual procedure. After my last one, I was shocked at how little pain there was. The anticipation is such a mind game.
Yeah, the mental buildup is way worse than the actual root canal, at least for me. I used to dread the whole thing, but once I was in the chair, it was honestly just boring more than anything else. The “don’t chew on that side” thing is such a struggle—I always end up forgetting and then panicking a bit. The relief after it’s done is unreal though. Just wild how much anxiety we can work up over dental stuff that turns out fine in the end.
