I also noticed bruising was more obvious with the wisdom teeth—maybe because of how much they had to dig around?
That’s exactly what I experienced. The swelling and bruising after my lower wisdom teeth came out made me look like I’d lost a boxing match, but the ache from a regular molar extraction just dragged on and on. Dry socket is the worst, though—had it once and I’d take swelling any day over that throbbing pain. And yeah, lower teeth always seem to heal slower for me, maybe gravity has something to do with it...
Dry socket is the worst, though—had it once and I’d take swelling any day over that throbbing pain.
Yeah, dry socket was brutal for me too. Did anyone else notice weird jaw stiffness after wisdom teeth removal? Mine lasted for weeks. Wonder if that’s more common with lower extractions or just bad luck.
I totally get what you mean about the jaw stiffness. Mine felt so tight after my lower wisdom teeth came out, like I could barely open my mouth for a while. My dentist said it was “normal” but it freaked me out a bit. I’ve heard it’s more common with lower extractions too, maybe because they’re closer to the jaw joint? Did anyone else have trouble eating or talking for ages? I lived on smoothies and mashed potatoes for like two weeks...
I lived on smoothies and mashed potatoes for like two weeks...
Same here—smoothies, yogurt, and those little cups of applesauce basically became my life. I was honestly shocked how much harder wisdom teeth removal hit me compared to a regular tooth extraction. My jaw felt locked up, and I kept worrying it’d never go back to normal. I actually found talking really tiring for days, which was kind of awkward at work. But yeah, my dentist also said it’s “normal.” I still think the lower wisdom teeth are just way more intense—regular extractions never left me this sore or anxious.
Yeah, I’ll take a regular tooth extraction over wisdom teeth removal any day. I mean, with a regular one, you’re sore, maybe a little annoyed, but you can still eat something that isn’t baby food. Wisdom teeth? That’s a whole other level. I remember after mine, my face looked like I lost a boxing match and my mouth barely opened wide enough for a spoon. I tried to eat soup and somehow managed to spill half of it down my chin because I couldn’t feel anything from the numbness.
And you’re right about the lower ones being brutal. My top wisdom teeth came out pretty easily—wasn’t fun, but it was manageable. The bottom ones though? Felt like they were trying to extract my entire jaw along with the tooth. The swelling lasted forever and I swear I got so tired of answering “what happened to your face?” at work that I started making up stories.
The weirdest part for me was how long it took before I could chew normal food again. With a regular extraction, I was back to chips and sandwiches in a couple days. After wisdom teeth, it was like a week before I dared try anything that wasn’t mushy or liquid. Also, dry socket paranoia is real... every little twinge had me convinced something was going wrong.
I know dentists always say it’s “normal,” but honestly, nothing about looking like a chipmunk and living off protein shakes for days feels normal to me. Regular extractions have nothing on wisdom teeth—especially those tricky lowers.
