I totally get the confusion—my oral surgeon gave me a whole printout and half the stuff contradicted what I’d read online. The suction thing makes sense, but I noticed the dairy warnings too. I wonder if it’s more about potential bacterial growth or just old-school caution? Anyone else get conflicting info about when it’s okay to start rinsing with salt water? That part threw me off, since timing seemed to vary a lot depending on who I asked.
Anyone else get conflicting info about when it’s okay to start rinsing with salt water? That part threw me off, since timing seemed to vary a lot depending on who I asked.
I ran into the same thing after getting my wisdom teeth out. My dentist said wait 24 hours, but my friend’s oral surgeon told her to start rinsing the same night. Honestly, I think some of it is old-school habit and some is just personal preference from different docs. I get the caution, but I felt better starting gentle salt water rinses a bit earlier—helped with the gross taste and swelling. Didn’t seem to mess up healing for me, but maybe I just got lucky.
I totally get the urge to rinse early, but when my kid had her molar pulled, I was paranoid about messing up the clot. The dentist told us, “No swishing for 24 hours—just drool it out if you have to.” Not the most glamorous parenting moment...
I get it, but I was too scared to risk the dreaded dry socket. Maybe I’m just overly cautious, but the thought of going through that twice? Nope.“I felt better starting gentle salt water rinses a bit earlier—helped with the gross taste and swelling.”
The dentist told us, “No swishing for 24 hours—just drool it out if you have to.” Not the most glamorous parenting moment... I get it, but I was too scared to risk the dreaded dry socket.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I did gentle salt rinses a little earlier after my own extraction and it was a lifesaver for the taste. I just made sure not to swish hard—more like letting it sit and then let it fall out. Dry socket is scary, but being careful with how you rinse can really help.
I always worry I’m going to mess something up after a tooth gets pulled. The “no swishing” thing freaks me out—I’m convinced if I even move my mouth wrong, I’ll end up with dry socket. Did anyone else get super paranoid about accidentally sucking through a straw or even just talking too much? I remember literally drooling into the sink and feeling ridiculous. The taste was gross, but I was way more scared of the pain coming back. Is it just me who overthinks every tiny thing after dental stuff?