Post-operative Instructions at Weymouth Street Paediatric Dentistry
Local Anaesthesia
Local anaesthesia usually lasts 2-3 hours after treatment. Often children are not too affected by administration of the local anaesthetic; however they may dislike the sensation of numbness. In younger children, it is common for them to describe it as “tingly”, or sometimes pain. The tingly feeling is felt when the tooth is first anaesthetised and it will last for 10-15 minutes. Your child will experience this feeling again when the anaesthetic is wearing off (2-3 hours later).
We recommend that young children be supervised while they have a numb mouth in order to prevent them from traumatising their lips or cheeks by biting, or by scratching with their finger nail. If they bite the numb area, this can present itself as a swelling of the lip or the cheek which can take 3-5 days to heal.
