Care for your mouth after attending Urgent Dental Care

Information about how to care for your mouth after attending Urgent Dental Care.

This leaflet has been produced to improve your understanding of what may occur  following the treatment provided in the Urgent Dental Care department.  If your treatment  is continued  by another department, please follow their advice in addition to any instructions within this leaflet. 

If you have any questions or would like further explanation, especially if you are unsure, please discuss this with the student, dentist or the attending nurse. 

Instructions to patients after surgery of the mouth/face/jaws

Following your dental procedure, the area involved may become uncomfortable, particularly if you have had a local anaesthetic/injection and you may need to take painkillers.  If we have not given specific advice, use of routine over-the-counter painkillers should be sufficient.  Any pain normally decreases over the first few days. 

There may be swelling and bruising in the area involved and any bruising is at its most obvious two to three days after the procedure.  The swelling may last for 5-7 days before improving. 

Although unusual, infection and development of an abscess can occur in the area where a root treatment had been commenced and a dressing has been placed in the tooth.  This is an unfortunate complication in a very small number of cases.  The swelling can become extensive and you should seek urgent dental advice, remembering to tell them about your treatment here, or return to our department as soon as possible.  If this happens over the weekend, you should call 111 or go to A&E if the swelling is worsening or extensive. 

Dos and Don’ts 

  1. If you have had a local anaesthetic and your mouth is still feeling numb, be careful not to bite you lip, cheek or tongue. 
  2. Do not have any very hot drinks while you are numb.
  3. Do not chew on any temporary dressing for three hours after the procedure.
  4. Brush your teeth as usual.
  5. There may be some blood in your saliva following any dental intervention.  If uncontrolled bleeding occurs, please contact your usual dentist or if that is not possible, attend your local A&E department.
  6. If your pain does not resolve or is not controlled by over-the-counter analgesics, please contact your own dentist or return to our department the next morning.
  7. In cases of sever swelling please return to our department or as stated above, call 111 or go to A&E if we are closed. 

Important 

If you have had an injection, be careful not to bite your lip, cheek or tongue. 
Do not have any hot drinks while you are numb. 
There may be some blood in your saliva. If uncontrolled bleeding occurs, please contact your own dentist, attend A&E or contact the dental school. 
In cases of severe swelling please call 111/ visit A&E.