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I Have a Cold Sore. Should I Keep My Dental Appointment?
By the Celestial Dental Centre clinical team · Published
It is the evening before your appointment and your lip has started to tingle. Or the blister is already there.
Please call us. Do not just turn up, and do not just stay away either.
Should I still come in with a cold sore?
For a routine visit, a check-up, a cleaning, a filling that can wait, or anything cosmetic, we would usually rather move it until the sore has healed.
There are two reasons, and only one of them is about us.
Cold sores are caused by a herpes virus, and the fluid in the blister is full of it. During treatment your lips are stretched, touched and kept open for a long time, and instruments that spray water create a fine mist. That is a straightforward way to spread the virus to fingers, to your own eyes, and to other surfaces.
The second reason is your lip. A blister that is stretched open for forty minutes tends to split, bleed and crack, and a sore that might have settled quietly can end up larger and slower to heal.
What if it is an emergency?
Then come.
Severe toothache, swelling, a broken tooth, or anything else that cannot wait still gets seen. We take extra care around the sore, and keep the treatment to what is needed that day. Tell us about the cold sore when you call so we can plan for it.
The blister is crusted over. Is that okay?
Once a cold sore has fully crusted and is drying out, it is much less infectious, and many people can be seen at that point. Ring ahead and describe it, and the team will advise. A sore still weeping, or a fresh blister, is the stage to avoid.
Can dental treatment cause a cold sore?
It can, in people who get them.
The virus sits dormant in a nerve and wakes up with triggers. Common ones are fever, strong sun, stress, a cold, and physical stretching or injury to the lips. A long dental appointment can do the stretching part.
If you are prone to cold sores, tell us. We can protect and moisturise your lips during treatment and keep breaks in long sessions. Some people who get them often are advised by their doctor to take an antiviral before longer procedures. That is worth asking about rather than starting on your own.
What helps when I feel the tingle?
Antiviral creams and tablets work best when they are started at the very first tingle or itch, before the blister forms. Later, they make less difference. A pharmacist or doctor can advise which is right for you.
Meanwhile, keep your hands off it, wash them if you do touch it, do not share cups, towels or lip balm, and do not kiss babies or anyone with a weakened immune system until it has healed.
Is an ulcer inside my mouth the same thing?
Usually not.
Cold sores mostly appear on the outside, on or around the lip border. The small, round, painful ulcers inside the cheeks, lips or under the tongue, white or yellow with a red rim, are usually aphthous ulcers. They are not caused by a virus and are not contagious, so there is no need to cancel your appointment for one. Do mention it, so we can work around it.
An ulcer that has not healed in two weeks is a different matter and should be looked at. That is covered at celestialdental.org/mouth-ulcer-that-wont-heal-causes-and-when-to-worry.
My young child has a fever and lots of mouth sores. Is this the same virus?
It may be. A child's first infection with the cold sore virus can look nothing like a cold sore. They may have a fever, swollen red gums that bleed, many small ulcers across the mouth, drooling, and they refuse to eat or drink because it hurts.
That needs a doctor, mainly because the real risk is dehydration. Keep offering cool fluids in small amounts, and seek help promptly if they stop drinking, are passing very little urine, or are unusually drowsy.
Book or move an appointment
Call +254 709 000 240 or +254 707 535 000, or manage your booking at celestialdental.org. Branches in Kasarani (Nairobi), Kamakis (Ruiru), Eldoret and Kiambu Road (Thindigua). Kasarani, Kamakis and Eldoret are open every day from 07:00 to 20:00, Kiambu Road every day from 08:00 to 18:00.
Moving a booking because of a cold sore is never a nuisance. It is the considerate thing to do.