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Paresthesia - Wisdom Tooth Nerve Damage

Paresthesia in dental terminology is a complication due to nerve damage after a wisdom tooth extraction. Wisdom teeth have deep roots that go down well into the jawbone are often very close to nerves. Sometimes these nerves can be bruised or damaged during the tooth removal process. The result is a numbness (called a paresthesia) of the tongue, lip, or chin that can last a few days or a few weeks or months in the case of bruising. The nerve can also be permanently damaged.

The feeling of paresthesia is similar to having your teeth numbed by your dentist. Instead of going away as the anesthetic wears off, the feeling stays according to the extent of the nerve damage. In most cases the feeling will wear off within days or weeks.
Patients feel many different sensations as a result of the nerve damage. Some can feel numb on the tongue only, and feel like the tongue is massive and constantly tingling. Others feel their lip and chin going completely numb.

Teenagers will tend to have less problems. The roots of the wisdom teeth continue to grow and develop as we age. The incidence of paresthesia increases markedly as you age. On average, paresthesia only affects 2-5% of patients and is usually temporary. However, for those aged 35 and over the incidence nearly doubles to about 10%. If you are older and have close proximity to a nerve you should seek out specialized advice.

If you are experiencing numbness after wisdom tooth extraction, your oral surgeon will often just schedule a further appointment a couple of weeks or so down the road, to see if the paresthesia goes away on its own.

If this does not happen, there are methods to help the nerve regenerate, but they need to be done soon after its determined the nerve will not heal itself. As a rough guide, if your surgeon/dentist identified during the procedure that the nerve was severed, you should have been referred immediately for surgical repair. If it becomes evident after the anesthesia wears off that you have sustained nerve injury and it does improve within 6-8 weeks, it may be appropriate to see a board certified surgeon, with expertise in nerve repair.