Had my wisdom tooth out last week (the bottom one, impacted, so it was a bit of a production), and I’m honestly surprised at how much longer it’s taking to feel “normal” compared to when I had a regular molar pulled a couple years ago. With the molar, I was eating pretty normally in like three days, barely any swelling, just annoying saltwater rinses. This time? My jaw still feels sore, I’ve got some bruising, and I’m still babying that side when I chew.
I’m curious if other people have noticed a big difference between recovering from a simple pull vs. a surgical extraction. Like, do you find the surgical ones just always take way longer, or is it just me being unlucky this round? My dentist said 7-10 days for “most” of the healing but honestly, I’m on day 8 and still not loving it.
Also—side note—did anyone else get those weird stitches that dissolve on their own? The feeling of those things in my mouth is driving me nuts. I don’t remember having them before.
Would you rather deal with a straightforward extraction again, or is the surgical route not as bad as I’m making it out to be? Curious what’s been easier (or harder) for folks.
- Impacted wisdom teeth extractions are definitely a whole different beast compared to a regular pull. The swelling, bruising, and that sore jaw can stick around for a while—honestly, it took me almost two weeks to feel halfway normal after mine.
- Those dissolvable stitches are the worst... I kept poking at them with my tongue and regretted it every time. They do eventually disappear, but the sensation is super annoying.
- Straightforward extraction? Way easier in my book. Surgical ones just take longer, especially if they had to dig around or cut bone. Not just you—most folks have a rougher time with surgical extractions.
- Hang in there. If things aren’t getting better soon, maybe check in with your dentist, but what you’re describing sounds pretty typical from what I’ve seen (and felt).
Surgical extractions are just brutal compared to a simple pull, at least in my experience. I had a wisdom tooth that was impacted and they basically had to do a mini excavation in my jaw. That swelling made me look like I lost a fight with a beehive. The regular extraction I had years before? In and out, barely any painkillers needed, and I was eating solid food way faster.
Did anyone else have trouble with those dissolvable stitches? Mine felt like they were there forever—almost started googling if they were supposed to last that long or if I was just special. Also, is it just me or does your jaw feel like it’s been bench pressing after a surgical one? Makes you appreciate chewing, honestly.
Curious if anyone actually had an easier time with the surgical route. I can’t imagine it, but maybe there’s someone out there who breezed through it.
I’m totally with you on the dissolvable stitches. Mine felt like they were hanging around for weeks, and I kept poking at them with my tongue wondering if that was normal. The swelling after my surgical extraction was intense, plus I had numbness in my chin for a couple days—did you get that too? With the regular pull, I barely even needed ibuprofen. Is it just that surgical ones involve more bone/soft tissue trauma, or does it depend on the tooth’s position? I always wonder if people who “breeze through” are just lucky or if there’s something else going on, like surgeon technique or genetics.
I hear you on the dissolvable stitches—mine felt like they were unraveling every time I moved my tongue, and it honestly made me a bit anxious that I’d mess up the healing. In my experience, surgical extractions are just rougher all around…more swelling, bruising, and that deep ache in the jaw. With my last simple extraction, I was back to normal food shockingly fast. I do think it’s partly because with surgical ones, there’s just more trauma to the area—cutting, bone removal, sometimes even a little drilling. The numbness thing freaked me out too (I kept checking if my lip was “working” right for days). Maybe some people genuinely heal faster, but for most of us, surgical extractions are just a bigger ordeal. If I had to pick, I’d take a simple pull any day—less stress, less downtime.