When your mouth feels numb, often after dental anesthesia, sensation in parts like your lips, tongue, or cheeks is temporarily reduced or absent. This makes eating feel unusual. Reduced sensation makes controlling mouth movements difficult, warranting caution to prevent accidental injury.
Potential Hazards
Eating while your mouth is numb carries several risks due to impaired sensation. A common hazard is accidentally biting your cheek, tongue, or lips because you cannot feel the soft tissues as you chew. This can lead to painful cuts or sores.
There is also a heightened choking risk when oral sensation is diminished. Difficulty chewing food thoroughly and controlling its movement can lead to pieces being swallowed before they are adequately prepared, potentially obstructing the airway. Temperature perception is affected, meaning you might burn your mouth on hot foods or drinks without realizing it. Food can also lodge in numb areas unnoticed. Improper chewing due to numbness might also damage new dental work, such as fillings or crowns.
Eating Strategies
To minimize risks when eating with a numb mouth, waiting until the anesthesia fully wears off is generally recommended as the safest approach. If you must eat while still numb, proceed slowly and deliberately, paying close attention to each bite. Chewing food on the unaffected side of your mouth can help reduce accidental injury to the numb areas.
Cutting food into very small, manageable pieces makes it easier to control and swallow, reducing choking risk. Using a spoon instead of a fork can also provide better control. Small sips of cool water assist with swallowing and keep the mouth moist. Eating in front of a mirror offers visual guidance to prevent accidental bites, and avoiding distractions allows for greater focus.
Food Choices
Selecting appropriate foods is important when your mouth is numb to ensure safety and comfort. Prioritize soft, easy-to-chew foods that require minimal effort, such as yogurt, mashed potatoes, applesauce, and smoothies. Soft scrambled eggs, smooth soups, pudding, and ice cream are also suitable options. Ensure these foods are cool or lukewarm, as impaired temperature sensation means hot items could cause burns.
Conversely, certain foods should be avoided until full sensation returns. Stay away from hot foods and liquids, which pose a burn risk due to reduced temperature perception. Crunchy or hard foods (nuts, chips, hard bread crusts) can cause injury to numb tissues or dislodge new dental work. Sticky foods like caramels or chewing gum should also be avoided, as they can pull out fillings or crowns. Highly acidic or spicy foods can irritate numb tissues.