Hours: Sat–Wed 10–6 · Thu 10–4 · Fri closed
After your visitIs what you feel after treatment normal, or does it need a call?
Swelling that grows instead of easing, a fever with the pain, or bleeding that won't stop with pressure? Call us; if we are closed, go to hospital. All the signs.
Most of what you feel in the first days is normal and eases day by day; what needs a call is mostly what gets worse, or does not ease. The doctor's instructions to you at the clinic come first.
When to call, and when to go to hospital
This does not wait
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department now, not an appointment:
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing.
- Swelling that has reached the eye or the neck.
And let us know afterwards.
Call now:
- Swelling under the jaw.
- Fever with the pain.
- Difficulty opening your mouth.
If the clinic is closed or you can't reach us: go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait.
If you are no longer in Jordan and something here worries you, go to the nearest emergency service where you are, and you can still call us.
Call today if you have:
- Pain that gets worse after a few days instead of easing.
- Bleeding that does not stop with pressure.
- Swelling in the gum or the cheek.
- Numbness in the lip, chin or tongue that has stayed after the anaesthetic wore off.
- A bracket that has come off the tooth, or a temporary crown that has come off or broken.
With diabetes, swelling or a fever does not wait: call now, and if the clinic is closed or you can't reach us, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait.
On a blood thinner? If your gums or an extraction site bleed and it won't stop with pressure, call us today; if it is heavy, comes with dizziness, or the clinic is closed, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. If you have bruising on your body or bleeding from anywhere else, speak today to the doctor who prescribed your blood thinner. Do not stop any medicine on your own.
Call and we will find you the earliest slot, and tell you what to do until you arrive. When you call, mention what treatment you had, and when.
After an extraction or a wisdom tooth
What is normal
- Some discomfort and mild swelling for the first few days are expected, and they settle with the days.
- Light bleeding, or saliva tinged with blood on the first day, is expected.
- After a wisdom tooth, especially a surgical extraction, the swelling and discomfort can be more noticeable, with some stiffness in the jaw, and your mouth may not open quite as wide as usual. They ease with the days.
And what needs a call
- Call today: bleeding that does not stop with pressure on the gauze.
- Call today: pain or swelling that grows instead of easing, or opening your mouth getting harder instead of easier.
- Call today: a bad taste or smell from the extraction site, with pain.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The full instructions: After the extraction: the first few days. After a wisdom tooth: After a wisdom tooth extraction.
After an implant
What is normal
- Some discomfort and mild swelling for the first few days, and then they settle.
- The bone knits around the root over months, and you live your life as usual.
And what needs a call
- Call today: numbness in the lip or chin that has stayed after the anaesthetic wore off.
- Call today: swelling that grows after the second or third day instead of easing.
- Call today: a bad taste or smell or discharge from around the implant, or a feeling that the implant or the cap over it has moved.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: When to call after an implant.
After a filling or a root canal
What is normal
- The numbness wears off after a few hours.
- Mild sensitivity to cold or when you bite is possible for a few days, and it usually settles on its own.
- After a root canal, tenderness when you bite for a few days is normal, and if it gets worse, you call.
And what needs a call
- Call this week: sensitivity after a new filling that has not eased after a few days, or has grown stronger, or a bite that feels high.
- Call today: pain that comes on its own, even if it comes and goes, or wakes you at night, or pain that lingers after the cold has gone.
- Call today: swelling in the gum or the cheek, or a bump on the gum with pus coming from it.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: Tooth decay and fillings: when to call. After a root canal: And root canal treatment?.
After a crown, veneers or a bridge
What is normal
- Once the anaesthetic wears off, the tooth may feel the cold, or feel tender when you bite, for a few days, and the gum around it may be a little sore; it usually settles on its own.
- After veneers there can be sensitivity to cold for a few days, sometimes a little longer, because the enamel is thinner, and it usually settles.
- After a bridge, the trimmed teeth may feel the cold for a while, and it usually settles.
And what needs a call
- Call today: the temporary crown has come off or broken. Keep it and bring it with you, and do not try to glue it back yourself with any adhesive.
- Call today: pain under the crown that is growing instead of easing, that stays after the cold or heat is gone, or that wakes you at night.
- Call this week: sensitivity to cold or to biting that has not eased after a few days, or a feeling that your bite is high on the crown.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: Dental crowns: what to do, and when to call.
After whitening
What is normal
- Sensitivity to cold for a few days, which usually settles on its own.
- The final colour settles over a few days: the tooth is dry straight after the session, then settles slightly darker as it takes up moisture again, which is normal.
And what needs a call
- Call this week: sensitivity to cold after whitening that has not eased after a few days, or has grown stronger.
- Call this week: gums that turned white, red or burnt-looking after whitening and have not returned to normal after a few days.
- Call today: a burning feeling or a white patch on the gum after a strip, a home product or the session itself, with pain that is getting worse.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: Teeth whitening: when to call.
After a cleaning or gum treatment
What is normal
- Bleeding for the first few days of brushing. The bleeding comes from the inflammation that was already there, not from a cut made by the cleaning, and it eases over the following days as the inflammation clears.
- Sensitivity to cold for a few days. It usually settles on its own.
- Flossing may bleed for the first few days; that is the inflammation, not the floss, and it eases as you carry on.
And what needs a call
- Call this week: if the bleeding increases or has not eased after two weeks of care, or if the sensitivity has not eased after a few days or has grown stronger.
- Call today: a swelling in the gum or cheek, strong pain that does not go away, or bleeding that does not stop with pressure.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: Teeth cleaning: what to do, and when to call.
With braces or clear aligners
What is normal
- Pressure and tenderness on the teeth in the first days after fitting and after each adjustment, and it usually eases on its own within days.
- With clear aligners, pressure and tightness on the teeth for the first days of each new tray, and it usually eases on its own within days.
- The brackets can rub the cheek at first, and wax covers them. The edge of a tray can rub your tongue or cheek at first, until your mouth gets used to it.
- Pressure in the first days is normal, but it is not a gauge: you may feel nothing and the teeth still move, and what matters is that it eases rather than builds.
And what needs a call
Some things do not wait for the appointment:
- A wire sticking out and cutting your cheek or tongue that you could not cover with wax.
- A bracket that has come off the tooth, or a wire that has snapped.
- A clear tray lost or broken, so your teeth are not left without one for days.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: Braces: when to call.
With a new denture
What is normal
- Eating and speaking are not the same for the first weeks.
- Some sounds may come out strangely at first. Reading aloud at home helps your tongue get used to it.
- More saliva, and a strange feeling. Your mouth treats the denture as something new, and that eases as you get used to it.
- A spot that presses, or a small sore. Expected at first, and the answer is an adjustment at the clinic, not filing it down or reshaping it yourself, and not putting up with it.
And what needs a call
- Call today: a swollen gum under the denture, especially if the swelling is growing or comes with pus or a salty taste.
- Call this week: a sore from the denture that will not go away, even after you have rested the spot, or a denture that has started to rub the gum or no longer stays in place.
- Call this week: a denture that has broken, or has started to loosen or move.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: The removable denture: the first weeks.
After your child's treatment
If you notice anything in your child after treatment that you are not sure about, call and ask.
What is normal with your child's braces
- If the plan includes a removable appliance: it feels tight and strange in the mouth when your child first wears it, and they get used to it.
And what needs a call
- Call right away: a swollen cheek, or a fever with the pain. If we're closed, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait.
- Call today: pain that wakes them from sleep, or a small bump on the gum without a fever. If we're closed, call as soon as we open.
- Does not wait for the appointment: a bracket that has come off the tooth, a wire that has snapped, or a removable appliance that has broken or no longer fits.
Signs that do not wait, after any treatment: When to call, and when to go to hospital. The details: Children's dentistry: when to call today, not tomorrow.
Questions people ask
I've forgotten what the doctor told me. What do I do?
Call and ask. The answer comes from your file and the treatment you actually had, not from a general page. Until you speak to us, the section on your treatment on this page tells you what is normal and what needs a call.
Can I take a painkiller?
Before any painkiller, ask the doctor first, so it suits your case. Before any painkiller for your child, ask the doctor first, so it suits their age and case. And no painkiller tablet on the tooth or gum: it burns the tissue and makes the pain worse.
Can I eat and drink normally?
Until the numbness wears off, do not eat on the numb side, and do not drink anything hot, so you do not bite your cheek or tongue, or burn yourself, without feeling it. After that it depends on your treatment. After an extraction: for the first few days, soft food that is cool or lukewarm, on the other side, and no sucking, no straws, no spitting and no smoking for the first stretch; the doctor tells you how long. With a temporary crown: chew on the other side, and stay away from gum and from sticky or hard food. Whitening: for the first two days after whitening the enamel takes up colour more readily, so the doctor gives you instructions for that window, and the main one is keeping anything coloured away: coffee, tea, smoke, sauces. With aligners: the trays come out for eating and for any drink other than water, and go straight back in afterwards. A new denture: soft food cut into small pieces, and chew on both sides at once.
What if something happens and the clinic is closed?
Difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling that has reached the eye or the neck: go to the nearest hospital emergency department now, not an appointment, and let us know afterwards. Swelling under the jaw, a fever with the pain, or difficulty opening your mouth: call now, and if the clinic is closed or you can't reach us, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait. If the clinic is closed and the bleeding will not stop with pressure, or the swelling is growing, or you have a high fever, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Let us know as soon as we open. With diabetes, swelling or a fever does not wait: call now, and if the clinic is closed or you can't reach us, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Don't wait. On a blood thinner? If your gums or an extraction site bleed and it won't stop with pressure, call us today; if it is heavy, comes with dizziness, or the clinic is closed, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. All the signs: When to call, and when to go to hospital.
Pages that go with this one
This is general guidance from our treatment pages, not a diagnosis of your case. If you are not sure, calling is faster and safer than reading.