I totally get the nerves. I was the opposite—my wallet was more nervous than I was. I tried to get back to normal ASAP, mostly because I didn’t want to buy a week’s worth of baby food. I did stick with soft stuff for a day or two, but by day three, I was eyeing pizza (not my best idea). Did anyone else try “chewing” on just one side and hope for the best?
Did anyone else try “chewing” on just one side and hope for the best?
That “chewing on one side” move is basically my go-to after any dental work. It feels like a weird game of balance—trying to keep food away from the extraction site, but somehow everything migrates over anyway. I lasted about two days on yogurt and mashed potatoes, then caved and tried a sandwich. Not my brightest moment... bread crumbs everywhere.
I get what you mean about the wallet being nervous. The cost of all those special soft foods adds up fast. I ended up just eating a lot of scrambled eggs and bananas, which isn’t exactly exciting but at least it’s cheap.
Honestly, I probably rushed it a bit. The dentist said to take it easy, but by day three I was already back to regular meals, just slower and more careful than usual. Still, I’d say the one-sided chewing is only effective for so long before you forget and bite down on the wrong side—ouch.
I relate way too much to the whole “chewing on one side” strategy. I always think I’ll be super disciplined, but then something like a stray tortilla chip ruins my plans. You’re right about the price of soft foods—by day two, I was over applesauce and scoping out what solid-ish food I could risk.
Funny thing, last time I had a tooth pulled, I thought I’d be back to normal in 48 hours. Ended up with a sore jaw from all the cautious chewing and, embarrassingly, a bit of mashed potato stuck on the wrong side (which my dentist warned me about... oops). Did anyone else get paranoid about dry socket, or was that just me? I swear every twinge made me think something was wrong.
Curious—did anyone actually follow the “no straws” rule? I tried but totally forgot after coffee cravings kicked in.
I was super paranoid about dry socket too—honestly, I googled every weird sensation for days. I stuck to the “no straws” rule like my life depended on it, but it was tough. The coffee craving hit hard, and I almost caved, but I just sipped really slowly. Chewing on one side felt so unnatural, and I definitely got food stuck back there more times than I’d admit. It took me at least a week before things felt even close to normal. I wish dentists warned us more about how annoying the soft food phase gets... applesauce fatigue is real.
Man, applesauce fatigue is a thing—couldn’t do another spoon after day three. I was way more worried about losing my AirPods in bed than getting dry socket, but yeah, those post-extraction rules are no joke. Did you get back to regular food after a week? I tried pizza on day six (bad idea). How long did you hold off on coffee? That was the hardest part for me by far...
