Haha, I swear those dissolvable stitches have a secret life—they hang around just long enough to make you question if you’re part cyborg. I’ve totally been there, poking at them with my tongue like it’s some weird hobby. The first time I had them, I was convinced they’d never go away and that I’d be “that person” with permanent mouth threads.
Honestly, unless there’s pain or swelling (or something looks super funky), I try not to stress anymore. My last crown took forever to feel normal, and the stitches were the least of my worries after a week or two. Pamphlets always say “7-10 days,” but my mouth’s on its own schedule—never met a deadline in its life.
Still, it’s wild how much attention we give to the tiniest thing when we’re healing. Maybe our brains just need something to obsess over while we wait for the good stuff—like eating chips again without fear.
My kid had dissolvable stitches after getting a tooth pulled, and I swear it felt like we were checking his mouth every five minutes for two weeks straight. The dentist said “about a week,” but nope, those things hung in there for at least 14 days, maybe a bit longer. At first, I was low-key worried—kept thinking, is this normal? Should I call? But he wasn’t in pain and there was no swelling or weird color, so we just let it be.
Honestly, the hardest part for him was not messing with them. He kept asking if he could eat popcorn again or if the stitches would “come out in his sleep.” The waiting felt endless (especially to a seven-year-old), but they did eventually disappear on their own, just like the dentist promised.
I get wanting everything to heal on schedule, but everyone’s body seems to do its own thing. Unless there’s obvious trouble, I try not to stress now. One less thing to obsess over while you’re stuck eating mushy food...
I get where you’re coming from about not stressing unless there’s something obviously wrong, but honestly, I’m not sure I could be that chill. When my daughter had dissolvable stitches after her tonsillectomy, her ENT said “about a week” too, but at day ten they looked exactly the same. I started worrying—what if they were stuck, or she was healing weird? I ended up calling the office just to double check. Maybe I’m just more anxious than most, but isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?
Does anyone else feel like the “normal” range is so vague? Like, why can’t they just say “anywhere from 5 days to three weeks” and save us all the second-guessing? I do see your point about not obsessing if there’s no pain or swelling, but sometimes it feels impossible not to overthink every little thing when it’s your kid, you know?
Does anyone else feel like the “normal” range is so vague? Like, why can’t they just say “anywhere from 5 days to three weeks” and save us all the second-guessing?
I totally get what you mean about the “normal” range being vague. I had dissolvable stitches after a wisdom tooth extraction and they told me “about a week,” but mine hung around for nearly two. I kept poking at them with my tongue, convinced something was off. Isn’t it weird how they act like there’s one timeline for everyone? I always end up calling the office too, just in case. I’d rather feel silly than miss something important. Does anyone actually wait it out without worrying? I just can’t.
Yeah, the “normal” range thing drives me nuts too. I had dissolvable stitches after a minor surgery and they said “about 10 days,” but mine were still hanging on after two weeks. I started googling photos (bad idea) and convinced myself I was some kind of medical anomaly. It’s wild how everyone’s body just does its own thing. I wish doctors would just admit it’s unpredictable instead of giving us a number that makes us freak out when we go past it.
