so wisdom teeth

[Owlet]

I got my wisdom teeth out this monday. Overall it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be... but I am REALLY struggling with food. I got some things before hand like icecream and pudding and things that you can just swallow.... but its not filling AT ALL. I can kinda eat pasta and pancakes but it hurts to chew it at all so I pretty much just have to swallow it whole....
The "no sucking" thing is really a struggle. Mom and I went to go get stuff for bird chop and there was a smoothie place across the way so we went and got me a smoothie! but alas we weren't thinking and I cant use the hecking straw and it was too thick to just pour into my mouth. So we had to wait until we got home where I could get a spoon

I tried to get myself some soup but I am rather picky eater. I only like tomato soup with a grilled cheese, cannot eat grilled cheese right now. I like chicken and noodle soup. I cannot eat chicken and just noodle/broth soup is like non-existent.

I'm basically living off of mash potatoes and protein shakes right now and the protein shakes make my stomach hurt...
It also doesnt help all the pain killers and antibiotics I am on, in addition to my normal arsenal of medication... my body is confused and tired.

Tomorrow is my first day back to work and I am so worried. I'm still not use to working full time and it tires me out. And now with the healing and drugs I am finding myself getting really tired and just being all around drained when I am not really doing much. Ive been going to sleep around 8/9pm and waking up at 10am. As well as midday naps.

Does anyone have any tips to get through this? Any soft foods they'd recommend? The pain really isn't that bad overall, its just chewing makes it worse. And I'm paranoid I will mess up the sutures or blood clots. I accidentally used a straw earlier and it freaked me out once I realized what I had done. I know .2 seconds of using a straw isnt gonna ruin the blood clots but I am anxious about it. (I had a straw because the cup for my smoothie was tall and the only spoon that we had that was long enough was one of those straw/spoon hybrids)

 

[HeatherG]

Wow. When I had my wisdom teeth out years ago it was a piece of cake, but when I had my tonsils out recently I was as sick as a dog for weeks. Don’t think my wisdom teeth were infected but tonsils were chronically infected.

I found that lots of cold things like frozen fruit and popsicles really helped. Pain medication. And if you are TOO SICK TO WORK, ask to GO HOME.

Seriously, cuts in your mouth and antibiotics and pain meds are kicking your butt. If you are sleeping that much just naturally maybe you shouldn’t be going back to work a full day.

(Yes, Mom.).

 

[BirdyBee]

Can you eat yogurt or soup? That's what my brother ate after having his wisdom teeth removed a month ago
Remember that the soup should fully cool down before eating it.

 

[Cottonoid]

I had dental surgery a few weeks ago.

Do you have a blender or food processor? You can take almost anything and blend it to a puree. So chicken noodle soup, blitz it til smooth. I add cheese to everything, mix til it melts, eat while still warm.

Soft scrambled eggs eaten while still warm so you don't chew them.

Oatmeal cooked with cream and butter then put in a blender so there aren't big chunks of you're in early days still, otherwise make like normal, and rinse really well afterward.

Cooked quinoa added to pretty much everything but rinse well in case any sneak into your incision


For work, you could take some of those Boost or Ensure meal replacer drinks, and Gatorade, so that even if you can't eat much you still will get calories. Your stomach might protest when you're not eating a meal that expands your stomach, but at least you won't be in danger of low blood sugar or not enough calories.

I had to stick with liquid only for a couple weeks and was back to work the next day so I agree it's a total pain!!!

 

[onamom]

I got my wisdom teeth out this monday. Overall it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be... but I am REALLY struggling with food. I got some things before hand like icecream and pudding and things that you can just swallow.... but its not filling AT ALL. I can kinda eat pasta and pancakes but it hurts to chew it at all so I pretty much just have to swallow it whole....
The "no sucking" thing is really a struggle. Mom and I went to go get stuff for bird chop and there was a smoothie place across the way so we went and got me a smoothie! but alas we weren't thinking and I cant use the hecking straw and it was too thick to just pour into my mouth. So we had to wait until we got home where I could get a spoon

I tried to get myself some soup but I am rather picky eater. I only like tomato soup with a grilled cheese, cannot eat grilled cheese right now. I like chicken and noodle soup. I cannot eat chicken and just noodle/broth soup is like non-existent.

I'm basically living off of mash potatoes and protein shakes right now and the protein shakes make my stomach hurt...
It also doesnt help all the pain killers and antibiotics I am on, in addition to my normal arsenal of medication... my body is confused and tired.

Tomorrow is my first day back to work and I am so worried. I'm still not use to working full time and it tires me out. And now with the healing and drugs I am finding myself getting really tired and just being all around drained when I am not really doing much. Ive been going to sleep around 8/9pm and waking up at 10am. As well as midday naps.

Does anyone have any tips to get through this? Any soft foods they'd recommend? The pain really isn't that bad overall, its just chewing makes it worse. And I'm paranoid I will mess up the sutures or blood clots. I accidentally used a straw earlier and it freaked me out once I realized what I had done. I know .2 seconds of using a straw isnt gonna ruin the blood clots but I am anxious about it. (I had a straw because the cup for my smoothie was tall and the only spoon that we had that was long enough was one of those straw/spoon hybrids)

Ugh I feel you pain! I had my wisdom teeth out this past August and my experience was similar to what you described. I’m in my 30s so I was much older than typical for it and also had a rough recovery with lots of fatigue.

The recovery period seems to drag on and on but don’t lose hope. It will get better! I was also paranoid about my stitches getting infected. I’m not a dentist so please take my advice with a grain of salt - this is what worked for me. I gently swished a warm water and salt mixture about three times per day to help clean my incisions clean. I also brushed my teeth very throughly, NOT over the stitches.

I had trouble really eating for a long time as well which I think greatly contributed to the fatigue. Keep trying soft foods more often, even if you don’t feel hungry. My favorite was a sweet potato and turmeric microwaved sip-able soup cup. Yogurt or applesauce works well too and really anything soft. You will gradually be done with the soft foods in time.

Once my stitches were starting to get better I still had some pain so I ended up trying a peroxide mouthwash I found on Amazon for mouth sores. It helped sooo much and really helped me transition from soft foods into harder foods. Don’t try this until you are over the worst of it and really stating to heal so you don’t damage the stitches.

As for the fatigue my biggest advice is to just let your body rest when you can. I took mid day naps often over this time as well. It will get better - hang in there!!!

 

[texsize]

How about my favorite comfort food.
Mac & Cheese.

Sorry your going through this.
my wisdom teeth were a long time ago but I don’t remember it being a big deal.
I would hazard a guess it depends on how impacted your teeth were/how much surgery was required.

I will say the no sucking directive went out the window as soon as I got home.
How do I put this delicately. I had my own go to off the shelf “medicine “ for combating pain (or anything else that ailed me)

 

[Owlet]

unfortunately I dont have the option of taking more time of work the details of my job make it very difficult to find coverage if I miss a day and it's a pain in the butt if I have to cancel classes. So I just gotta stick with it...

Thank you all for the suggestions, I've already tried some of them and have had mixed success.

The doctor sent me home with a medicated mouth wash that I didn't 3x a day that helps. A lot of people told me to do the salt water rinses too.

 

[cnyguy]

A long time ago when I had extensive dental surgery the dentist recommended that I eat baby food for the first few days after the surgery. That worked well for me and some of the baby foods weren't bad. Not exactly gourmet delights but edible and no chewing required.

 

[Owlet]

Does anyone have any experiences with the stitches they put in? mine are making me really anxious. A good half inch is just hanging there and I'm terrified I'm going to bite down and rip the rest out. I dont know if this is suppose to happen. a vaguely remember the doctor saying theyd fall out rather than dissolve but I do not know.

 

[HeatherG]

I remember that happening when I had teeth pulled, and I had a lot of them pulled. It’s annoying because you can’t help worrying the string with your tongue and end up looking a bit silly.

I am not sure if the fall out or dissolve. I think it’s a combination. Just don’t pull on the string because the whole area might not yet be healed.

 

[mjm]

will get better soon unless get dry socket. they form 4-5 days out and can last couple weeks. they involve aching, throbbing pain that tends to radiate to ear. clot will look bad and tend to smell . keep socket clean after it heals as will take months to completely fill in

 

[Cottonoid]

I still have my stitches in, it's been three weeks now and the incision is healed so I don't have to be as careful not to touch then with my tongue. Mine are supposed to stay in until my appointment next week.

It's super annoying to always feel like something is in my mouth You might get more used to it after a while. I think it took me a week or two to stop noticing it all the time.

 

[mjm]

stitches should be out by now .10-14 days

 

[Cottonoid]

stitches should be out by now .10-14 days

I had a different procedure than wisdom teeth removal and mine will stay in until my 4 week follow up.

Owlet's on day 6 or so