If numbness persists, there are a few ways to make it go away faster.
Physical activity can increase blood flow to the area, helping to break down and carry away numbness-causing medications. Taking a walk around the neighborhood or even just doing a few jumping jacks can help.
Wait It Out
Anesthetics are powerful medications, and they take a bit of time to wear off. It is normal to feel numbness in your mouth after a dental procedure, but it is important to know that it should completely wear off within a few hours. If it persists, you may need to contact your dentist. In rare cases, numbness that lasts for more than a day can be indicative of nerve damage.
There are a few things you can do to speed up the process of getting rid of anesthesia from your mouth. One is to drink lots of fluids, which can help flush out residual anesthetics more quickly. Another is to massage your face, which can increase blood flow and make the numbness go away faster. Lastly, you can also try sucking on ice chips or hard candy to stimulate circulation in the area. If these methods don’t work, you should be patient and wait for the numbness to wear off on its own.
Massage Your Face
Although it may feel strange to massage your lips and cheeks when they’re numb, this technique can actually help you feel better faster. Massaging your face increases blood flow to the area, which can make the effects of local anesthetics wear off more quickly.
It’s also a good idea to gently move the muscles of your mouth and jaw as you wait for the anesthesia to wear off. Wiggling your jaw is a common trick to use, but you can also try moving your tongue around, which helps stimulate feeling in that part of the mouth.
If you’re still experiencing numbness after several hours (or even a full day), it could be a sign that there was some type of nerve damage during your dental procedure. In rare cases, this type of numbness can last months or even longer. If you’re concerned about this possibility, contact your dentist for more information.
Sip on Warm Liquids
It’s normal to feel a bit numb after getting a dental filling. Numbness is a necessary part of the procedure, but it can take quite a while to wear off completely. Fortunately, there are several ways to help the numbness go away faster.
Drinking warm liquids can stimulate blood flow, helping the local anesthetic to wear off more quickly. However, patients should be cautious when drinking hot beverages after a tooth extraction. It can dislodge the blood clot in the empty socket and lead to dry socket. Therefore, we recommend sipping on lukewarm or iced liquids after the tooth removal.
If it’s safe to do so, gently rinsing the mouth with warm water can also increase blood flow. The salt in the water helps to stimulate the blood, and the warm temperature will help to reduce numbness. If you’re feeling up to it, engaging in light physical activity can also stimulate blood flow and help the numbness to wear off more quickly.
Apply Heat
Aside from waiting, applying heat to the area where you had an injection or a procedure can help speed up the process. This encourages blood flow, which can cause the numbness to wear off faster.
Getting more physical activity may help make the numbness go away faster as well. It can be as simple as taking a walk or engaging in light exercise. It can also be as involved as doing some light stretches or gentle yoga. Just ask your dentist if it’s safe to do so before you do.
If your numbness is taking a long time to wear off after your appointment, it could be because of nerve damage. This is a rare occurrence, but can happen when you have an invasive dental procedure or oral surgery. In this case, the numbness could last for weeks or even months. This can be very distressing, so talk to your dentist.
Eat a Healthy Diet
While a healthy diet is important for overall health, it can also help patients make the numbness from dental procedures like cavity fillings go away faster. Increasing the amount of food and fluids that you eat can stimulate blood flow, which can help speed up the process of both breaking down and carrying away numbing agents from the mouth.
It is also recommended that patients engage in mild physical activity, such as a short walk or light housework, to get their blood moving and improve circulation. If your dentist approves this type of activity, a gentle massage of the face can also encourage blood flow and help speed up the process of the numbness wearing off.
Sucking on ice chips or hard candy can also help stimulate blood flow and work to quickly flush the anesthesia from the mouth. While this may not be the most pleasant option, it is an effective way to reduce numbness quickly and get back to normal.
Take Vitamin B12
While it is normal for the numbness from dental fillings to take a few hours to subside, some people experience this sensation for much longer than they should. This can be incredibly frustrating and may cause discomfort. However, there are several things that you can do to help the numbness wear off faster.
If you ask your dentist and it’s safe to do so, taking a brisk walk or even riding your bike can help cut the lack of sensation in a natural way. Being lively rouses blood flow in the body, which can carry the novocaine away from the injection spot to be broken down and metabolized.
Massaging and applying heat can also aid in this process. If you do nothing else and the numbness lasts for weeks, it could be an indication of nerve damage. This is rare, but it is possible.