I totally get the urge to overthink when stitches just hang out way longer than expected. I see this all the time—some people’s dissolve in five days, others are still dealing with them after two weeks. It doesn’t always follow the “average” timeline, and honestly, most of the time it’s harmless, just annoying. I’ve had folks come in convinced something’s wrong, only for the stubborn suture to finally give up right before their appointment.
It sounds like you did all the right things—checking for real signs of trouble instead of just fixating on the timeline. Warm salt water rinses are a classic for a reason, and yeah, resisting the urge to poke at it is so much harder than people think.
Out of curiosity, did anyone’s dentist ever actually have to remove a dissolvable stitch for them? I hear about that sometimes, but it’s rare in my experience. Sometimes I wonder if it’s more common with certain types of sutures or if it’s just one of those weird oral surgery myths.
Had to laugh reading this because I was 100% that person who stared at my stitches every morning, convinced they were plotting against me. Mine stuck around for almost three weeks after a wisdom tooth extraction, and I finally caved and asked my dentist if they needed to be evicted. She just gave them a quick snip and said sometimes they’re stubborn, especially with the thicker dissolvable ones. Not a myth in my case, but definitely not the norm either. Salt water rinses did help with the irritation though... and resisting the urge to poke at them is basically an Olympic sport.
resisting the urge to poke at them is basically an Olympic sport.
That’s too real. I remember after my molar extraction, the stitches hung around way longer than I expected—like, I was convinced they were multiplying or something. My dentist acted like it was no big deal but I couldn’t help wondering if I’d done something wrong. Did anyone else notice them getting tighter before they finally disappeared? Or was that just in my head?
I was convinced they were multiplying or something.
Same here, it felt like every time I checked, there was another one hiding in my cheek. Mine definitely seemed to get tighter too, especially when I yawned or tried to eat something that wasn’t totally soft. I kept worrying I’d mess them up somehow. My dentist said it was normal, but honestly, I still googled “stitches dissolving too slowly” at least twice a day. Glad I’m not the only one who overthinks this stuff.
Mine definitely seemed to get tighter too, especially when I yawned or tried to eat something that wasn’t totally soft.
That “tightening” feeling is so weird, right? I kept thinking I’d accidentally rip one out just by talking too much. And yeah, the temptation to check in the mirror every few hours is real. I remember thinking, “Wait, was that one there yesterday?” I definitely fell down the Google rabbit hole on dissolving times—turns out, it’s different for everyone. Some of mine hung around for almost two weeks, and I started to wonder if they were ever going to leave. My dentist also said it was normal, but honestly, it’s hard not to overthink when you feel every little tug inside your mouth. I guess as long as there’s no pain or swelling, it’s just a waiting game. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry about messing them up with a rogue tortilla chip...
