Getting my son to stay hydrated after his wisdom teeth came out was honestly way harder than convincing him to eat soft foods. He just wasn’t interested in water or juice, and every cold drink made him complain about sensitivity. I remember trying to get creative—ended up freezing watered-down apple juice in ice cube trays so he could suck on them, which sort of tricked him into taking in more fluids without it feeling like a chore.
Hydration was a whole other battle for us.
Totally relate. I also ran into the whole “salt water rinse tastes gross” issue, but the minty stuff stung too much for him. Not sure there’s a perfect solution—just a lot of trial and error. Sometimes popsicles helped if he was being stubborn. I’d say, if anyone’s prepping for this with a kid, stock up on different drinks and see what sticks. Hydration’s key for healing, but getting there can be a pain.
Hydration’s key for healing, but getting there can be a pain.
That’s the truth. It’s funny, I thought getting my daughter to eat mashed potatoes and yogurt would be the struggle—nope, it was the water. She said everything tasted “weird” and cold drinks made her teeth ache like crazy. Did you notice that too? I even tried room temp drinks, but then she’d just say it was “gross.” You can’t win.
I tried your ice cube trick but with Gatorade (diluted, so it wasn’t a sugar bomb). She’d suck on those for a minute before losing interest. Popsicles were hit or miss—she loved the idea but sometimes said they made her mouth feel numb.
The salt water rinse drama is so real. She’d gag every time and then ask if she could just use mouthwash (which obviously wasn’t happening). I ended up just letting her skip it for a day or two because honestly, what’s worse—risking a little bacteria or having her refuse to open her mouth at all?
Did your kiddo get those weird headaches from not drinking enough? That was our red flag. She’d get cranky and then finally admit she hadn’t really had anything to drink since breakfast... It’s wild how much you have to nag about something as basic as water.
I’m convinced there’s no perfect solution either—it’s just about trying all the tricks until one works. If anyone figures out a magic “hydration potion” for picky post-surgery kids, please tell me because next time I’m stocking up.
Yeah, we had the same headaches and crankiness—hydration was way harder than I expected. My kid kept saying everything tasted “off” too, especially water. I got paranoid about dry socket, so I probably nagged more than I should’ve. Honestly, there’s no easy fix.
The taste thing is real—my daughter complained about that for days. Even the “flavored” electrolyte drinks tasted weird to her, which was a bummer since those can get pricey. We ended up sticking with ice chips and cold apple juice (store brand, way cheaper). I worried about dry socket too, but honestly, we just followed the no-straw rule and it turned out fine. The crankiness was tough, though… I kept thinking maybe we could’ve skipped the fancy rinses the dentist recommended and just used salt water instead. Anyone else feel like the aftercare stuff adds up fast?
The aftercare stuff gets wild, right? I remember staring at a $12 bottle of “healing rinse” and thinking, “Is this mouthwash made of gold?” Ended up using salt water like my grandma always did. Didn’t taste great, but my wallet survived.
