Emergency appointment · aftercare

After your emergency dental appointment

After emergency dental treatment at Y3 Smiles Dental in Broadmeadows, mild soreness for two or three days is normal and should ease each day. Eat soft food, chew on the other side, and take pain relief as directed. Call us if pain or swelling gets worse instead of better.

When should you call us or seek urgent care after treatment?

Go to hospital or call 000

Swelling that spreads to your eye, neck or under your jaw
Difficulty breathing or swallowing
Bleeding that soaks through gauze after 30 minutes of firm biting pressure

Call us today

Pain that is getting worse after day two or three instead of better
A fever, or feeling generally unwell
A bad taste or smell with increasing pain where a tooth was removed
A temporary filling or crown that has come out
Numbness that hasn't worn off by the next day

The first 24 hours

Wait for the numbness to wear off before eating or having hot drinks. It usually lasts a few hours.
If a tooth was removed, keep firm pressure on the gauze for 30 minutes. Don't rinse, spit hard, smoke or drink through a straw today. These can dislodge the clot that helps it heal.
Use a cold pack on your cheek, 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off, if you have swelling.
Rest with your head raised on an extra pillow tonight. It helps with throbbing.
Avoid alcohol for the rest of the day, particularly if you're taking pain relief or antibiotics.

Day 2 to day 7

Most people notice a clear improvement from day two. Tenderness when biting, a slightly bruised feeling in the gum, and mild sensitivity are all common and should fade over the week.

From day two, rinse gently with warm salty water after meals, especially around an extraction site or a drained abscess.
Keep brushing and cleaning gently. A clean mouth heals faster.
Protect temporary work. Avoid sticky, hard or chewy food on that side until the permanent fix is done.
Watch the trend. The key sign is direction: things should be getting a little better each day.

What can you eat after emergency dental treatment?

For the first day or two, choose soft food that doesn't need much chewing: yoghurt, eggs, soup that has cooled down, pasta, rice, mashed vegetables, smoothies eaten with a spoon. Chew on the other side. Avoid very hot, spicy, crunchy or sticky food, and hard things like nuts, chips and crusty bread, until the area feels normal.

How should you manage pain and sleep?

Take the pain relief your dentist recommended, or over-the-counter pain relief you normally use, following the packet directions. If you have health conditions or take other medicines, ask your pharmacist what's safe for you. Taking a dose before the numbness wears off can help you stay ahead of the pain. Sleeping with your head raised reduces throbbing.

When do you need to come back?

Many emergency visits deal with the urgent part and leave some treatment for later, such as finishing a root canal, placing a permanent filling or fitting a crown. Keep that appointment even if the pain has gone. Pain settling doesn't mean the problem is fixed, and temporary work isn't built to last. If you're not sure what's next, call Y3 Smiles Dental and we'll remind you. For what the visit itself involves, see emergency dental appointments.