We had to deal with this when my daughter had her first tooth pulled last year. Ice packs helped, but honestly, keeping her propped up at night made the biggest difference—flat pillows just made her face puffier, or at least it looked that way. She hated the taste of salt water so we stuck to gentle rinsing with plain water for a bit longer. The swelling looked dramatic but she said it didn’t hurt much after day two.
Ice packs helped, but honestly, keeping her propped up at night made the biggest difference—flat pillows just made her face puffier, or at least it looked that way.
You handled that really thoughtfully. Propping up with extra pillows is a solid move—gravity does help keep swelling from pooling overnight, even if it feels a bit awkward to sleep that way. It’s always a little nerve-wracking after a tooth pull, especially with kids. I get anxious about missing something important.
I usually tell people to do exactly what you did: ice for the first 24 hours (but not directly on the skin), then switch to gentle warmth if the swelling lingers. I know some folks swear by salt water, but honestly, if your daughter hated it and stuck with plain water for rinsing, that’s still totally fine for the first couple days. The main thing is just not to swish too hard and disturb the site.
It’s reassuring she didn’t have much pain after day two. Swelling can look alarming but isn’t always a sign of something wrong—still, I always worry until it’s gone. You did great navigating all those little decisions in real time.
That makes sense about the extra pillows—honestly, I was surprised how much difference it made when I tried it. I kept second-guessing if I was overdoing it or not propping up enough. Did you notice if her swelling got worse if she slid down during the night? I kept waking up to check in case something looked off. Also, is it normal for the cheek to feel kind of firm even after the redness goes down? I keep poking at mine, which probably isn't helping...
I totally get the urge to poke at your cheek—honestly, I did the same thing after my wisdom teeth came out. The firmness stuck around for a while, even after the swelling and redness faded. I think it’s pretty normal, but yeah, probably best not to keep prodding it (easier said than done). And about sliding down at night, my swelling definitely got worse if I ended up flat on my back. I started wedging a pillow under my knees too, just to keep myself from moving so much. It’s a weird process, but you’re not alone.
I remember after my own extraction, I tried the whole “ice pack every 20 minutes” routine, but honestly, it was elevating my head that made the biggest difference. It’s funny—sometimes I’d wake up halfway off my pillow and could feel the swelling creeping back in. I do wonder if anyone’s ever managed to sleep perfectly upright though... feels impossible.
