Nerve Damage Caused By Dentist!
Discussion
Hey 
My mum went to the dentist 4 weeks ago for a root filling. Looks like the Dentist damaged a nerve when injecting the anaesthetic as she still can't feel the left side of her jaw or bottom lip (she gets a little tingling every now and again).
Anyone ever heard of anything like this (wondering/hoping there might be a dentist on here)?
TBH the dental practice have been a bit rubbish about it all and all they've said is to leave it for 6 months before taking any further action.
I've told her to book an appointment with her GP to find out whether there’s anything that can be done. I've also spoken with the private dental insurance company (denplan) but they weren’t much help unfortunately...
Anyone suffered anything similar?
My mum went to the dentist 4 weeks ago for a root filling. Looks like the Dentist damaged a nerve when injecting the anaesthetic as she still can't feel the left side of her jaw or bottom lip (she gets a little tingling every now and again).
Anyone ever heard of anything like this (wondering/hoping there might be a dentist on here)?
TBH the dental practice have been a bit rubbish about it all and all they've said is to leave it for 6 months before taking any further action.
I've told her to book an appointment with her GP to find out whether there’s anything that can be done. I've also spoken with the private dental insurance company (denplan) but they weren’t much help unfortunately...
Anyone suffered anything similar?
Jaysus!I can't advise as such but an experience I had or will have:
Went to the dentist a couple of years ago, got a filling. Turns out the filling is too big so all the masticating I've been doing has crached the tooth. Had to have a gold crown fitted (not at the same dentist of course), I haven't bothered going back or causing any trouble. There's probably some public liability that the dentist has but I'm not going down that path.
Also turns out I need a wisdom tooth removing at some point in the next few years - the dentist points out that it is a tricky bit of surgery since the way it lies is very close to a major nerve. I don't know if I will have to sign some disclaimer or the onus is on the dentist to ensure that they stay well clear, or if there is some recourse if anything goes wrong. I guess the point I'm making is the pre-op position your mum was in
isn't an unusual one so I imagine ther's some protocol that a dentist on here will know of.
In the meantime, tell your post-op Mum to be careful when she masticates.
Went to the dentist a couple of years ago, got a filling. Turns out the filling is too big so all the masticating I've been doing has crached the tooth. Had to have a gold crown fitted (not at the same dentist of course), I haven't bothered going back or causing any trouble. There's probably some public liability that the dentist has but I'm not going down that path.
Also turns out I need a wisdom tooth removing at some point in the next few years - the dentist points out that it is a tricky bit of surgery since the way it lies is very close to a major nerve. I don't know if I will have to sign some disclaimer or the onus is on the dentist to ensure that they stay well clear, or if there is some recourse if anything goes wrong. I guess the point I'm making is the pre-op position your mum was in
isn't an unusual one so I imagine ther's some protocol that a dentist on here will know of.In the meantime, tell your post-op Mum to be careful when she masticates.
there was a bloke on here years ago who went blind in one eye after dental treatment - his sight came back after a couple of months.
nerves have a poor blood supply and so if they are damaged they take a while to recover there is nothing you can sensibly do to speed up the recovery so whilst it sounds harsh its probably the correct advice.
just unlucky i guess
nerves have a poor blood supply and so if they are damaged they take a while to recover there is nothing you can sensibly do to speed up the recovery so whilst it sounds harsh its probably the correct advice.
just unlucky i guess
I too have been warned about the possibilty of permanent nerve damage if I have my remaining impacted wisdom tooth taken out.
20 years ago I was not warned, in fact you were never warned about anything back then, and when my first impacted tooth was extracted it took about 3 months to get the feeling back into my jaw. For the first week it looked and sounded like I had had a stroke.
20 years ago I was not warned, in fact you were never warned about anything back then, and when my first impacted tooth was extracted it took about 3 months to get the feeling back into my jaw. For the first week it looked and sounded like I had had a stroke.
Chap I know had an injection a few years ago in his gum and the needle broke, causing some nerve damage which has caused one side of his face to go slightly lazy. Really shocking stuff but this was before the whole compensation culture came about, he basically got told there's nothing that can be done so deal with it.
These days I guess you've got a lot more to fall back on if it does go wrong, but I really wouldn't know where to begin. Waiting for 6 months sounds ultimately wrong to me, but I'm not a dentist!
I'm sure this thread does wonders for those who hate and fear going to the dentist!
These days I guess you've got a lot more to fall back on if it does go wrong, but I really wouldn't know where to begin. Waiting for 6 months sounds ultimately wrong to me, but I'm not a dentist!
I'm sure this thread does wonders for those who hate and fear going to the dentist!
If the local anaesthetic penetrated the nerve bundle and was delivered into the nerve itself there will indeed be a long wait for normal sensation to return, although it is not normally as long as 6 months.
It is an unusual occurence, but not a completely unavoidable one due to the mechanics of delivering an injection to a point well below the surface of the tissues and therefore totally unobservable. The operator is normally aware of this though, because the patient experiences a sensation akin to an electric shock/burning across the area served by the nerve.
It is extremely rare for there to be any residual damage, recovery is normally total.
Hopefully this will reassure your Mother whist she waits for the discomfort and inconvenience to go.
It is an unusual occurence, but not a completely unavoidable one due to the mechanics of delivering an injection to a point well below the surface of the tissues and therefore totally unobservable. The operator is normally aware of this though, because the patient experiences a sensation akin to an electric shock/burning across the area served by the nerve.
It is extremely rare for there to be any residual damage, recovery is normally total.
Hopefully this will reassure your Mother whist she waits for the discomfort and inconvenience to go.
Happened to me when I have a wisdom tooth out, he'd hit a nerve, so pulled back and had another go
The tingling is a very good sign. This shows that the nerve is still working, I would agree that it will take some time but the sensation usually returns. I did work in a specialist unit (albeit I was quite junior) where patients were referred in with exactly this problem- we periodically reviewed them and apart from reassurance that it will come back if it is tingling we did little else.
Only 52% of pts that experience long term paralysis notice the 'electric' shock with only a total of 8% cases feeling the shock in the first place. Its not all down to direct trauma of the nerve.
Long term damage is more likley in the less deep nerve (lingual nerve) causing loss of sensation of the tongue.
Relapse should not be left for any longer than 3 months, though it is not thought any surgical proceedures can be useful.
Your GP won't have a clue, your best bet is getting your dentist to ref. you to the maxfac dep. at your nearest hosp, especially if you live in a city with a dental hospital, Queen Mary (London) has a specialist in this field.
I'm affraid its more of a case that this can happen though is more common when specific anaesthetics are used (high concentrations). It is still incredibally rare with worse case report at 1:500,000.
Nerve damage is surgical wisdom teeth removal is due to surgical complication (often unavoidable), a completely different matter.
The use of any drug and its administration has hazards, though in locals it is incredible rare in comparission to say GA.
Paul (dental surgeon)
Long term damage is more likley in the less deep nerve (lingual nerve) causing loss of sensation of the tongue.
Relapse should not be left for any longer than 3 months, though it is not thought any surgical proceedures can be useful.
Your GP won't have a clue, your best bet is getting your dentist to ref. you to the maxfac dep. at your nearest hosp, especially if you live in a city with a dental hospital, Queen Mary (London) has a specialist in this field.
I'm affraid its more of a case that this can happen though is more common when specific anaesthetics are used (high concentrations). It is still incredibally rare with worse case report at 1:500,000.
Nerve damage is surgical wisdom teeth removal is due to surgical complication (often unavoidable), a completely different matter.
The use of any drug and its administration has hazards, though in locals it is incredible rare in comparission to say GA.
Paul (dental surgeon)
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