I’ve always been the nervous type when it comes to dental stuff, so I stuck with the ice packs way longer than most folks probably would. The oral surgeon drilled it into me—ice for the swelling, nothing warm for at least 48 hours, maybe more. I was honestly too scared to mess with that advice. There’s just something about the idea of “heat brings blood flow” and maybe causing more swelling or even bleeding that freaked me out.
By day three, I wanted to ditch the cold packs so badly. My cheeks felt like they’d been pressed against a car window in winter, and I kept thinking, “How on earth is this supposed to make me heal faster?” But then my cousin told me her friend tried heat early and ended up with some weird oozing situation (not sure if it’s true, but it stuck in my head). So yeah, I powered through with ice and just tried to distract myself with Netflix and lukewarm soup.
When I finally did switch to a warm compress—like, five days in—it actually felt really nice. But I still wonder if going warm too soon would’ve made things worse for me. Maybe everyone’s body handles it differently? I just get paranoid about complications... dry socket was my biggest fear. Even now when someone mentions switching to heat early, my stomach does a little flip.
Guess what works for one person might not work for another. But for anyone else who gets anxious about recovery like I do, sometimes sticking to the “by the book” advice gives a bit of peace of mind—even if your face feels like a popsicle for half a week.
Totally get the paranoia—I was so worried about the cost if I messed something up and had to go back in. I actually just rotated between two cheap gel packs from the drugstore and a bag of frozen peas when the swelling was worst. Did anyone try making their own ice packs? I found that wrapping a wet washcloth around ice cubes worked in a pinch, but it was a little messy.
I totally relate to the frozen peas trick—those were my go-to too. I never actually tried making my own ice pack, but I did wonder if it’d be less messy than the washcloth method. Did anyone else get weird skin irritation from those store-bought gel packs?
I always went with the frozen peas too—mainly because my wallet was already crying from the dental bill. Those gel packs are weirdly expensive for what they are, and yeah, I got those red blotchy patches from them. Honestly, a bag of rice wrapped in a thin t-shirt worked way better for me. Less leaky than peas, and definitely less sticky than the washcloth method. Did anyone else just use whatever was in the freezer, or was that just my broke self?
Frozen peas were my go-to, but I definitely raided the freezer for anything cold and vaguely bag-shaped. I once used a bag of mixed veggies and ended up smelling like broccoli for half a day—not my best look. Those gel packs always left my cheeks looking sunburned, so honestly, the DIY approach just felt better. Dental bills are brutal enough without dropping extra cash on fancy ice packs, right?
