"Weirdly enough, ice packs helped me more than painkillers..."
Yeah, same here. Painkillers barely touched mine, and honestly, they just made me feel queasy. Did anyone else get nervous about dry socket? I was so paranoid about it that I avoided straws and rinsed super gently for weeks... probably longer than necessary. Took me almost a month before I stopped worrying every time I ate something crunchy. Glad that's behind me now.
I totally get the dry socket anxiety... I was exactly the same way. I remember googling symptoms obsessively and panicking every time I felt a weird twinge or ache. Honestly, I think I rinsed so gently that it probably didn't even do anything, lol. But better safe than sorry, right?
Painkillers weren't great for me either—just made me dizzy and anxious. Ice packs were my best friend too, especially at night. It took me about three weeks before I could eat crunchy stuff without feeling paranoid. Even then, I chewed super carefully on the opposite side for another week or two.
Glad you're past the worst of it now. It's such a relief when you finally stop worrying about every little thing you eat... Hang in there, anyone still recovering—it does get better eventually.
"Honestly, I think I rinsed so gently that it probably didn't even do anything, lol."
Haha, this made me chuckle because I did exactly the same thing. I remember being so paranoid about dislodging the clot that I barely moved the water around my mouth—probably pointless, but it felt safer somehow. The anxiety around dry socket is no joke; I spent way too many nights googling symptoms and convincing myself I'd messed something up.
For me, feeling completely normal again took a solid month. Even after the initial swelling and pain subsided, there was still this lingering tenderness whenever I'd chew or yawn too widely. I got into the habit of cutting everything into tiny pieces and chewing super slowly on the opposite side. Ice packs were helpful at first, but oddly enough, warm compresses became my comfort later on—especially when my jaw muscles felt stiff from being overly cautious.
Anyway, glad you're past the worst of it. It's such a relief when you finally eat without second-guessing every bite... That first crunchy snack tasted like freedom, haha.
Haha, I totally relate to this:
"That first crunchy snack tasted like freedom, haha."
For me it was tortilla chips...I swear I chewed them in slow motion at first, just waiting for something to go wrong. Glad you're finally past the anxiety stage, it's such a relief.
Haha, tortilla chips were my first crunchy snack too...I remember carefully positioning each chip away from the extraction sites, chewing super slowly, and then pausing to make sure nothing hurt. It felt like a whole strategic operation at first. Glad you're past that anxious stage now, it's definitely a milestone. Did anyone else find themselves overly cautious about brushing near the extraction area even after it healed? Took me forever to brush normally again.
