Just had a tooth pulled yesterday (ouch, I know), and it got me thinking about how everyone deals with the whole comfort thing afterward. Dentist gave me the usual spiel—ice packs, ibuprofen, soft foods, yada yada—but honestly, I'm finding Netflix binges and ice cream way more helpful than anything official, lol.
Anyway, figured I'd toss up a quick poll to see what most of you guys actually prefer when you're stuck nursing a sore mouth after an extraction:
What's your comfort method of choice after tooth extraction?
- Ice packs/cold compresses
- Pain meds (OTC or prescription)
- Comfort foods (ice cream, pudding, soup)
- Distracting yourself (movies, gaming, reading)
- Sleep it off (nap time ftw)
Feel free to share your own tricks or stories below. I'm currently on episode 7 of some random baking show I don't even like that much... but hey, distraction is distraction, right?
Definitely comfort foods for me—although I'm always paranoid about getting dry socket, so I stick to lukewarm pudding and smoothies instead of ice cream (sad, I know). I tried distracting myself with gaming last time, but ended up too anxious about healing properly to focus... ended up napping through half the day instead. Whatever works, right? Hope your recovery goes smoothly!
I feel you on the anxiety thing—last extraction I had, I was so worried about dry socket that I barely even wanted to swallow. Lukewarm pudding sounds smart though; I mostly stuck to room-temp mashed potatoes and soup (boring, but safe). Tried watching Netflix to distract myself, but every twinge or weird sensation had me googling symptoms again... probably not the healthiest coping mechanism, haha.
Quick question for anyone who's been through this: did you find warm tea helpful or did it make things worse? I've heard mixed things—some say it's soothing, others swear it irritated their gums. I'm too cautious to risk it without more reassurance.
I totally get the anxiety around tea—been there myself. Honestly, warm tea was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I tried chamomile thinking it'd be soothing, and it kinda was at first, but then I started worrying if it was too hot or if it'd irritate the site... cue more googling and anxiety spirals, lol. Ended up sticking mostly to lukewarm herbal teas (like peppermint) after letting them cool down quite a bit. That seemed safer and didn't trigger any extra discomfort.
Also, completely relate to your Netflix distraction attempt turning into symptom-checking sessions. I swear, every tiny ache had me convinced something was wrong. It's exhausting, right? But hang in there—you're doing all the right things already. The mashed potatoes and pudding route is safe and smart, even if it's boring as heck after a couple days. It'll pass quicker than you think.
Totally relate to the tea anxiety thing, especially worrying about temperature. Lukewarm peppermint tea was my go-to as well—felt soothing without causing extra stress about irritation. Honestly, distraction really is key. I binged through an entire season of some random cooking competition I'd never normally watch, but it did the trick. Hang in there, sounds like you're handling it pretty well already.
