Funny, I actually found myself overdoing the rinses too—at one point my mouth felt like it was in a car wash. Did you find your dentist gave you a strict rinse schedule? Mine was pretty relaxed, but I still stressed about missing one.
My dentist was super chill about the rinses too, which honestly just made me overthink it more. I kept worrying if I was doing enough or too much—felt like I was prepping for a dental Olympics or something. The real kicker was when I realized I was flying through bottles of salt and mouthwash... not great for the grocery budget. Eventually, I just set reminders on my phone and tried not to stress if I missed one. My gums survived, so I guess it worked out.
Haha, the “dental Olympics” line got me—felt exactly the same way after my gum graft. I swear, I was going through salt like I was prepping for an icy driveway instead of a mouth rinse. And those little bottles of mouthwash? They add up fast. I ended up just making my own saltwater in a big pitcher and keeping it in the fridge for a couple days at a time. Not sure if that’s dentist-approved, but it made life easier and cheaper.
Totally relate to stressing about missing a rinse, too. At some point, I just figured my gums would have to forgive me if I skipped one here and there. The reminders helped, but honestly, not obsessing was the real trick. Glad your gums survived—mine did too, despite my less-than-perfect routine. Sometimes “good enough” really is good enough, especially when you’re trying not to blow your grocery budget on salt.
Making a big batch of saltwater is honestly a game changer—I did the same after my wisdom teeth came out. My dentist said as long as it’s fresh-ish and not too salty, you’re golden. I did get a bit paranoid about missing rinses at first, but after a week or two, I realized my mouth wasn’t gonna revolt if I skipped one. It’s funny how we all start out so strict and then just... chill. Also, those tiny mouthwash bottles are such a scam for recovery—seriously, who has the budget for that?
I totally get the paranoia about missing a rinse—honestly, I was almost obsessive about it after my gum graft. I kept thinking if I skipped even one, something awful would happen. Eventually, my nerves calmed down a bit, but it took a while. And yeah, the tiny mouthwash bottles? Such a rip-off. I ended up just using a big mason jar for saltwater and felt way less stressed about running out. It’s weird how much anxiety creeps in when you’re trying to heal, but having a routine (even a loose one) helped me feel more in control.
