I have lingering jaw numbness after wisdom teeth surgeryDental Loft
Ten days after getting wisdom teeth removed, I still have numbness in my lower left jaw. I called my dentist, and he said that the oral surgeon might have hit a nerve. The numbness makes it difficult to chew, eat, and brush my teeth. I
do not return to the oral surgeon until ten more days. Is there anything I can do to improve the numbness? And how long will it continue? I am supposed to start Invisalign treatment in November. Katherine in Tulsa, OK Katherine, Thank you for contacting our office. Your dentist is correct—your jaw nerve is damaged. How long it takes to heal depends on the extent of the damage. No doubt, this is a frustrating experience, but it will take time and patience to heal. Lower wisdom teeth roots are close to the nerve that travels beneath your lower teeth and lower lip. In some cases, the nerve touches tooth roots, and there is a risk of nerve damage during extraction. But an oral surgeon takes x-rays before surgery and can explain your risk. Your surgeon may have explained the risk or asked you to sign paperwork regarding it. Types of Jaw Nerve Injury The types of jaw nerve injury that can occur during
tooth extraction including bruising, crushing, and severing. As you can see from the healing times below, please do not expect the feeling to return in your jaw and lip when you see your oral surgeon in ten days.What Causes
Nerve Damage During Tooth Extraction?
Ask your dentist how any oral health issue will affect Invisalign treatment
As nerves recover, you will begin to feel tingling in your lip. There is nothing you can do to speed the healing process.
When Can You Begin Invisalign Treatment?
After your appointment with the oral surgeon, you will know the extent of nerve damage. The surgeon will send your dentist a report. And your dentist can determine if and how numbness will affect your Invisalign treatment plan.
Best wishes for your recovery.
Rekha Reddy, DDS of Dallas, sponsors this post.
After Your Surgery
Post-Operative Instructions
Jaw Stiffness: This should resolve in one to two weeks with healing and increased use of the jaw.
Numbness: You may experience numbness of the tongue, lower lip, chin, or gum tissue. This is generally a temporary condition. It may last for a few days or many months. Contact the office if this condition persists for more than one week.
Shifting of Teeth: Teeth adjacent to the extraction site may seem to have shifted slightly, causing some discomfort. This sensation is usually temporary and should resolve itself.
Irritation: You may notice irritation, sores, or cracking of the lips and corners of the mouth. This is due to chapped lips and/or stretching of the lips during surgery. It is best treated by keeping the lips well lubricated with a mild ointment.
Sharp Bony Edges: Occasionally, patients will detect hard substances with their tongue in the area of the extraction. This is the bony wall that surrounded the tooth. In most cases, this is a temporary condition. Please contact the office if this persists.
Dry Socket: This term refers to a condition which may arise after the removal of teeth. Symptoms may include a throbbing, radiating pain. This pain may radiate to the ear, jaw, teeth, head, or throat. This discomfort would normally resolve without treatment; however, the pain can be managed through the use of over-the-counter pain relievers and/or with medicated dressings placed in the extraction socket. If you think you may have this condition, please call the office so we may help you.
As with any type of surgery, wisdom tooth removal carries some risks. However, these risks are usually small. Risks can include: See your dentist if you have signs of infection after having your wisdom teeth removed, or if you're bleeding heavily from the extraction site. Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) is one of the most common complications of wisdom tooth removal. It's where a blood clot fails to develop in the
tooth socket, or if the blood clot becomes dislodged or disappears. This can happen 3 to 5 days after surgery. The empty socket causes an ache or throbbing pain in your gum or jaw, which can be intense like a toothache. There may also be an unpleasant smell or taste from the empty tooth socket. If you look into the socket, you might be able to see exposed bone rather than a blood clot. You're more at risk of
developing dry socket if:Dry socket
- you don't follow your dentist's instructions after the extraction
- you smoke
- you've had the condition before
- you're over 25 years old
- the extraction was difficult or complicated
See your dentist or surgeon if you think you have dry socket. They can flush any debris out of the socket or cover it with a medicated dressing, which may be removed and replaced frequently until it heals.
Nerve injury
Although far less common than dry socket, injury to sections of a nerve called the trigeminal nerve is another possible complication of wisdom tooth removal. It can cause pain, a tingling sensation and numbness in your tongue, lower lip, chin, teeth and gums.
The damage is usually temporary, lasting for a few weeks or months. However, it can be permanent if the nerve has been severely damaged.
A nerve injury can interfere with your daily activities, making things such as eating and drinking difficult. However, a nerve injury will only cause sensation problems – it won't cause any weakness to your lip or tongue.
Your dentist or surgeon will try to minimise the possibility of nerve damage when removing your wisdom tooth, and they should tell you about the risk of complications before the procedure.
General anaesthetic
General anaesthetic is occasionally needed for the removal of wisdom teeth.
It carries some additional risks, but complications are very rare, occurring in less than 1 in every 10,000 cases.
Page last reviewed: 17 May 2021
Next review due: 17 May 2024