- Care of the Mouth after Local Anesthetic Your child has had local anesthetic for their dental procedure. We want to provide you with some information about caring for your child’s mouth after local anesthesia. Here are some common things that can occur after the visit:
Lower jaw treatment: lower lips, teeth, cheek, and tongue may be “numb” or fat feeling. Upper jaw treatment: upper lip, teeth, cheek and roof of the mouth may feel “numb” or fat feeling.
Children do not understand the effects of local anesthesia, and often report “pain.” That can be the fat feeling or tingling after the numbness is wearing off. Often children may chew, scratch, suck, or play with the numb lip, tongue, or cheek. These actions can cause minor irritations or severe tissue damage that can lead to swelling and pain. In most cases, even with severe tissue damage, the patient will heal normally over the next couple of days. Please monitor your child closely for approximately two hours following the appointment. It is often wise to keep your child on a liquid or soft diet until the anesthetic has worn off. - Care of the Mouth after Extraction It is important to have your child not scratch, suck, chew, or rub the lips, tongue, or cheek while they are numb. Your child should be watched closely so they do not injure his/her lip, tongue, or cheek before the anesthesia wears off.
★ Keep their fingers and tongue away from the extraction area.
★ Do not rinse their mouth for several hours.
★ Do not let them spit excessively.
★ Do not give them a carbonated beverage (Coke, Sprite, etc.) for the remainder of the day
★ Do not let them drink through a straw, it can pull out the clot.
★ Watch for excessive bleeding Some bleeding can be expected. If unusual bleeding occurs, place cotton gauze, wet paper towel, or wash cloth firmly over the extraction area and bite down or hold in place for fifteen minutes. A tea bag can also aid in clotting. Repeat if necessary. Maintain a soft diet for a day or two, or until your child feels comfortable eating normally again. Avoid strenuous sports or physical activity for several hours after the extraction. - Post-Op Pain
Pain medication may or may not be needed depending on the procedure. We recommend for mild to moderate discomfort using Children’s Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin as directed for the age of the child. If a medicine was prescribed, follow the directions on the bottle.