Dental numbing usually lasts 1 to 3 hours, and sometimes up to 5 hours.
Duration
Dental numbing from lidocaine usually lasts 1 to 3 hours for soft tissue, and the teeth numbness fades earlier, in 1 to 2 hours. Some people feel it up to 5 hours.
By drug
- Lidocaine with epinephrine: soft tissue 3 to 5 hours.
- Articaine: 2 to 4 hours.
- Bupivacaine: 6 to 8 hours.
Factors
Dose, injection site (lower jaw lasts longer), your metabolism and the use of epinephrine.
Tips
- Don’t eat until it wears off.
- Avoid hot liquids.
- Don’t bite your lip.
- Gentle exercise may speed up blood flow.
Reversal
Phentolamine (OraVerse) can shorten the effect.
Call your dentist
If numbness lasts more than 12 hours.
Duration in detail
The numbness from dental anesthesia usually lasts 2 to 5 hours in the lips and tongue. The feeling in the teeth and the area where the drug acted often goes away sooner, within 1 to 3 hours. A lower jaw block, which numbs half of the lower lip and tongue, typically lasts longer than upper jaw injections.
By drug
- Lidocaine with epinephrine: 3 to 5 hours of soft tissue numbness.
- Articaine with epinephrine: 3 to 4 hours.
- Mepivacaine 3% (plain): 2 to 3 hours, shorter and useful for brief procedures.
- Bupivacaine with epinephrine: 5 to 9 hours, used for lengthy procedures and for post operative pain.
- Prilocaine: 2 to 4 hours.
Factors that change it
- Which nerve was blocked and the dose given.
- Whether epinephrine is in the solution, which prolongs the effect.
- Your metabolism, age and body weight.
- Blood supply and inflammation. Infected areas can be harder to numb and the drug wears off faster.
- Physical activity and warmth, which increase blood flow and can shorten the effect, so gentle rest is advised.
Tips
- Do not eat solid food until you can feel your lips and tongue, to avoid biting them.
- Drink water, but be careful with hot drinks.
- Take the first dose of the recommended pain relief before the numbness ends if you expect pain, such as ibuprofen.
- Light massage of the face and moving the jaw gently can help blood flow, though evidence is limited.
- Children are at higher risk of biting numb areas, so watch them.
Reversal
OraVerse (phentolamine mesylate) is a reversal agent injected after the procedure that can shorten soft tissue numbness by about 50% to 60%. It is available in the US at some dental offices for a fee.
Call your dentist
Call if numbness persists for more than 24 hours, you have pain with an unusual tingling, or an allergic reaction with rash or swelling. Rare cases of lasting nerve injury can happen, with lingual nerve and inferior alveolar nerve involvement in lower jaw blocks, estimated at around 1 in 26,000 to 1 in 160,000 injections.
Duration by anesthetic
Lidocaine 2 percent with epinephrine provides about 60 minutes of pulp anesthesia and 3 to 5 hours of soft tissue numbness. Articaine has a faster onset. Mepivacaine 3 percent without epinephrine lasts 20 to 40 minutes of pulp anesthesia and 2 to 3 hours of soft tissue anesthesia. Bupivacaine with epinephrine may last 5 to 7 hours. The inferior alveolar nerve block, used for lower molars, causes the longest numbness in the lip and tongue. Fast metabolism and inflamed or infected tissue reduce anesthetic effectiveness because of local acidity. Avoid hot drinks until feeling returns, and do not chew on the numb side.
Based on data from the American Dental Association
