That’s exactly what I’m worried about—my dentist said I might need a guard after the stitches come out, but honestly, those things look massive. Did it mess with your sleep at all? And did you have to get used to drooling or anything weird? I’m pretty anxious about the whole recovery process...
I totally get the anxiety. When I first saw the guard, I thought there’s no way I could sleep with that thing in my mouth. The first couple nights were rough—felt like I couldn’t close my lips right and yeah, there was some drooling. Did you get any advice on how to keep it clean? I kept worrying about bacteria getting trapped. It did get easier after a week or so, but honestly, it took me a while to stop waking up every time it shifted.
I totally remember the drooling phase—felt like I was back in middle school with braces. For cleaning, my dentist recommended a soft toothbrush and a bit of gentle soap, then rinse really well. Did your doc say anything about mouthwash or just stick to water? Sometimes I wonder if I’m overdoing it with the cleaning.
Totally get what you mean about overdoing it—I kept thinking, “Am I just scrubbing my money away?” I asked my periodontist about mouthwash and she said to avoid anything with alcohol since it can sting and dry things out (plus those bottles aren’t cheap). She recommended salt water rinses, which honestly worked fine and cost basically nothing. I did use a soft baby toothbrush, but only after the first week. I guess sometimes less is more, especially if you’re on a budget and don’t want to buy every product under the sun.
- Totally agree on the salt water rinses—felt a bit old school at first, but they worked way better than I expected.
- I tried one of those fancy “gum care” mouthwashes and honestly, it just burned and made my mouth feel weirdly dry.
- Used my electric toothbrush on the lowest setting after a few days (probably too soon... whoops), but switching to a baby toothbrush was way gentler.
- Not sure if it’s just me, but keeping a little notepad to track pain meds and rinses helped me stay on top of things when I was groggy.
- Tech stuff aside, sometimes the simplest fixes really are best—my wallet appreciated it too.