My kid had a tooth pulled last year (first molar, poor thing), and I was way more cautious than maybe necessary. The dentist said “soft foods” too, but even yogurt made her nervous, and she kept asking if she could just skip meals. I hovered like a hawk, probably drove her nuts. Dry socket was all I could think about... every little twinge or complaint, I’d panic. We did applesauce, broth, and those little smoothie pouches for days, just to be safe. It felt like forever before she was ready for toast or anything with a bit of texture.
It’s so hard to know when it’s “safe” to get back to normal. Did anyone else’s kid complain about the taste in their mouth? Mine said everything tasted weird for a while, even water. Wondering if that’s common or if she was just being dramatic.
That weird taste thing is real—I totally get it. After I had a couple teeth pulled for braces, everything tasted off for at least a week. Even water seemed metallic or just... wrong. I don’t think it’s just kids being dramatic; it’s probably the blood and healing stuff mixing around, plus maybe leftover numbing gel? It definitely made me not want to eat much, which was a pain since everyone kept telling me to “keep my strength up.”
I was super careful about food too. My mom was convinced I’d get dry socket if I even looked at a straw, so we did mashed potatoes, pudding, and soup for days. Honestly, I think waiting until your kid feels ready is smart—even if it takes longer than the dentist suggests. For me, it was almost a week before I tried anything with crunch, and even then I chewed on the opposite side like my life depended on it.
Did anyone else’s kid get grumpy about brushing near the spot? I remember being so paranoid about hurting myself that I barely brushed that side for a while.
That taste thing drove me nuts too. I remember thinking water tasted like pennies for days, and my appetite just disappeared. My kid was super nervous about brushing near the extraction site—he’d sort of hover the brush and then give up. We ended up using a little cup of water to gently rinse that side for a while, which seemed to help him feel less freaked out. It’s tough because you want to keep things clean but also not make it worse. Looking back, I think letting him ease into it was the right call, even if it took longer than the dentist said.
That metallic taste is the worst, right? I totally get what you mean about water tasting weird—mine was more like licking a battery for a couple days, and I kept thinking something was wrong. My appetite was all over the place too, mostly just wanted cold stuff like yogurt and applesauce. It’s wild how much a pulled tooth messes with your senses.
I’ve been super nervous about brushing near the spot, honestly. I kept reading horror stories about dry socket and it made me so paranoid I’d do something wrong. The dentist said to brush “gently” but that’s so vague... I was like, how gentle is gentle? I ended up just kind of avoiding that side for a while and using saltwater rinses instead. It probably wasn’t perfect, but I figured not disturbing the area was better than accidentally poking it. I feel you on wanting to keep things clean but not make it worse—it’s such a weird balance.
I think your approach with your kid makes total sense. My dentist made it sound like I’d be back to normal in a couple days, but honestly it was at least a week before I felt like eating or brushing normally. Maybe dentists just want us to be optimistic? Or maybe some people heal super fast, but that was definitely not my experience.
Did anyone else get super anxious about every little twinge or weird taste? I kept googling every symptom, which probably didn’t help my nerves. But in the end, I guess it just took time and listening to my body a bit.
I actually did the opposite and brushed right over the area from day one, just really slowly and with a super soft toothbrush. My dentist told me saltwater rinses were good but not to skip brushing, so I figured gentle pressure was better than leaving food stuck there. Never got dry socket, but yeah, every weird taste or ache had me convinced something was wrong. Maybe I just got lucky, but being a bit more proactive seemed to help me heal up faster.
