I actually wondered if I was overdoing the ice too... After a couple days, it mostly just made my face numb and uncomfortable, not really less puffy. Did your swelling go down on its own, or do you think propping up at night did the trick? I was so worried about missing an “icing window” that I barely slept. Sometimes I think they make icing sound like a magic fix, but maybe it’s not as essential as they say.
I was so worried about missing an “icing window” that I barely slept. Sometimes I think they make icing sound like a magic fix, but maybe it’s not as essential as they say.
This is exactly how I felt—I swear I spent more time timing my ice packs than actually resting. It’s like you’re supposed to have this sixth sense for the “perfect moment” to ice, and if you miss it, your cheeks will just balloon up forever or something. I definitely overdid it the first two days and just ended up with a numb chin and a weird burning feeling. Didn’t seem to help much with the swelling after a while, honestly.
I tried propping myself up at night too, but I kept sliding down the pillows in my sleep. Not sure if it actually helped, but at least it felt like I was doing something. My swelling went down on its own after about three days, even though I’d basically given up on the ice by then. I think the body just does its thing, no matter how many frozen peas you strap to your jaw.
The whole “icing window” thing really stressed me out too. At one point, I was waking up every two hours to swap out the packs because I thought if I missed a round, I’d wake up looking like a chipmunk. In hindsight, I probably should’ve just slept more and worried less about the ice.
I get why they push icing—maybe it helps some people? But for me, it was more of a distraction than a miracle cure. If you’re feeling numb and uncomfortable, maybe that’s your sign to take a break from the cold stuff. Swelling’s annoying, but it does go away (eventually). You’re definitely not alone in wondering if all the icing hype is a bit much.
I totally get the stress over the “icing window”—I remember after my own wisdom teeth came out, I was so focused on sticking to the 20-minutes-on, 20-minutes-off rule that I barely did anything else. Honestly, after the first day, I felt like my cheeks were just as puffy whether I iced or not. A little cold helped with discomfort early on, but after that, sleep and keeping my head up seemed to make more difference. Sometimes all these strict instructions just add to the anxiety... bodies really do most of the healing on their own.
I totally relate to obsessing over the icing schedule—I’m right in the middle of recovery now, and honestly, I keep wondering if skipping a round will mess up my healing or make swelling worse. But it’s kind of reassuring to hear that you didn’t notice much difference after the first day. Did anyone here try switching to heat at some point, or is that just asking for trouble? I’ve seen mixed advice online and it’s making me second guess everything…
Honestly, I was glued to my ice packs the first 24 hours, but after that, I felt like the swelling just kinda did its own thing regardless. I remember being tempted to try a warm compress when my jaw started aching, but I was worried I’d make things worse. Did anyone else get that weird tingling sensation when switching between ice and heat? I always wondered if that was normal, or just my nerves being dramatic...
