I’ve had both a wisdom tooth and a regular molar pulled, and honestly, I can’t decide which recovery was rougher. With my wisdom tooth, my face swelled up like a chipmunk for days and I got that gross taste in my mouth—turns out it was dry socket (wouldn’t wish that on anyone). But with the regular molar, it hurt less at first but then I got this weird throbbing pain a week later that freaked me out. Ended up being a little infection, so antibiotics for me.
What’s everyone else’s experience? Did you notice different signs of complications depending on the type of tooth pulled? Like, is swelling and bruising more normal for one than the other? Or does it just depend on luck (or maybe how well you follow the salt water rinse thing)? Curious if folks found one recovery way harder than the other.
Honestly, I feel you—dry socket is the absolute worst. I’ve had both pulled too, and the wisdom tooth was way more dramatic for me. My jaw looked like I’d lost a boxing match and I couldn’t eat anything but mush for days. But with a regular molar, the pain was sneakier... less swelling, but then that dull ache just lingered. I do think wisdom teeth tend to cause more swelling just because they’re buried deeper, but infections can mess with any extraction if you’re unlucky. Salt water rinses help, but sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. You’re definitely not alone in having both suck in their own special ways.
That’s exactly how it went for me, too. My wisdom tooth extraction was such a mess—chipmunk cheeks, couldn’t chew anything solid for almost a week. But the regular molar? Barely any swelling, but that throbbing pain just wouldn’t quit. It’s weird how different they can feel. Hang in there, it really does get better, even if it feels endless in the moment.
Funny, I had the total opposite—my wisdom teeth were a breeze, but when I lost a regular molar it just ached for days. I guess everyone’s mouth reacts differently. That lingering throbbing is the worst... ice packs and soft foods helped me a lot.
Swelling hit me way harder after my wisdom teeth came out, but the pain from a regular molar extraction actually lasted longer for me. I also noticed bruising was more obvious with the wisdom teeth—maybe because of how much they had to dig around? Dry socket was a nightmare, though. I wonder if upper vs lower teeth makes a difference too.
