Q&A: Dealing With Minor Oral Irritations

When your mouth is irritated, the last thing you want is for this oral health issue to worsen. Instead, whether you’re dealing with a cut, minor swelling, sore, or anything else under the sun, you want it go heal and go away quickly, so you can get back to not thinking about your mouth every two seconds! We would love to help you with a question-and-answer session (and suggest you come in for a dental visit if you require additional care).

Questions and Answers

Question: Can I eat spicy food? Doesn’t it mean that the food is essentially “cleaning” a sore or cut if it burns?

Answer: We strongly suggest against eating anything spicy when dealing with oral irritation. The figurative “heat” produced by spicy foods and ingredients cause additional irritation. They are not cleansing your tissues. Instead, they are resulting in pain and may cause further swelling if any exists.

Question: What can I do for pain when I’m dealing with a little bit of discomfort? Do I just need to ignore the problem altogether?

Answer: When you’re dealing with minor oral health issues that yield discomfort, you have a couple options. First, you may take an over-the-counter analgesic to address pain and any inflammation. You may also purchase an over-the-counter topical anesthetic to ease discomfort.

Question: Which one is soothing to problems like sores, small cuts, and minor swelling? Cool or cold things? Or, warm or hot things?

Answer: Cold or cool is always the way to go. It helps shrink blood vessels, which means it will reduce your swelling, rather than make this symptom of your minor oral health issue worse.

Let Your Mouth Heal With Helpful Tips

Help your smile along as you overcome minor irritation by making wise choices for yourself. We are always happy to offer advice. Contact Absolute Dental Care today in Virginia Beach, VA to schedule a visit by calling (757) 428-7440. We proudly welcome patients Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampton, Eastern Shore, and all surrounding communities.