Anesthesia is always administered prior to a dental procedure to help dull and lessen the pain of the procedure. The most common form of anesthesia that’s given is local anesthesia, meaning it dulls the pain in the mouth during the dental work, but does not make you go to sleep.
If you have visited your dentist for a root canal treatment, a filling, or some other procedure, you will definitely be given a local anesthetic to numb the area around your mouth and to prevent pain and discomfort during and after the procedure.
A numb mouth can be really annoying; more so, when you’re hungry or trying to have a conversation; before complete sensation returns to your mouth. Patience is obviously the most common way to manage the numbness, given that, it tends to wear off as time passes. Nonetheless, you can try these home remedies and tips to deal with a numb mouth quickly.
How To Get Rid Of Numbness Of Mouth After Dentist?
The following guidelines will help you get rid of numbness of the mouth; however, it’s always prudent to confer with your dentist or health care provider.
- Massage the skin around your lips and mouth, moving the fingers in small circular movements around the jaw.
- Ask your dentist if it is safe to participate in physical activity – brisk walk, a bike ride or even do some household chores; it’ll help you immensely. When you are active, it helps stimulate the flow of blood in your body and this helps to carry the anesthesia away from the injection site for your body to decompose and metabolize it.
- Taking a nap may help. Falling asleep gets your mind off the uneasy sensation in your mouth and helps peacefully pass off the time as the numbness wears off.
- Talk to your dentist and ask for another injection. Some dentists may give you some medication or an injection which helps reverse the effects of the anesthesia.
- Phentolamine mesylate is known to accelerate the coming back of the normal sensation after a dental work. Clinical research has demonstrated that phentolamine mesylate given as an injection after the dental work has been completed helps return the normal sensations in the lips, cheeks and tongue faster, customarily in about 1 hour. On the other hand, you need to know that, in case the dental procedure causes pain in the bone or the soft tissue and a local anesthetic proffers comfort for a long time after the procedure, phentolamine mesylate is not advised. How phentolamine mesylate operates in your body is not quite understood, but, it is believed that it helps increase the blood flow to the soft tissue area. Also, this agent will work only if the original anesthetic contains a medication which constricts the blood vessels, such as epinephrine.
If your numbness after the dental procedure persists for more 9 hours after the dental work, contact your dentist or your health care provider to understand the precise cause.