Hayley
Member
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2008
- Messages
- 66
- Location
- Cheshire, England
Hi,
I am trying to find some information regarding damage to the 7th cranial nerve due to a 'direct hit' when local anaesthetic was being administered.
I am an etremely nervous patient with a great fear of 'The Chair'. It takes a great deal to get me into it, and recently I had to go in for 2 fillings. I also normally need a fair amount of anaesthetic as I don't 'numb up' very easily. This time it was different. Almost immediately on the anaesthetic being administered, my head began to feel numb, around the back of my ear and down into my neck (no change to my jaw though or my lip). I noticed that I could not close my eye. I asked my dentist if this was normal and while he didn't say it was, he said it would be ok.
To cut a long story short, I suffered facial paralysis on the right side of my face. No motor function at all (no smiles, no frowns, couldn't close my eye or blink). Dentist said it would wear off with the anaesthetic - it didn't. I went back to my dentist the next day as I had severe swelling around my jaw, ear and eye. I was told that the 7th cranial nerve, responsible for motor function, had been hit and that although he had only seen it once before in his entire career, he had never known the effects to last longer than a few days. I was sent away being assured that all would return to normal.
Over one week later I am still suffering. I have almost constant pain around my jaw and into my ear and neck. I also have a feeling of pressure which occurs around my neck, the base of my skull, my ear, my cheek and my eye/temple area. My eye also aches deep into the socket. I also get a stinging sensation in my eye, and it weeps, but this is not often. My eye also twitches. Nothing affects this, not painkillers or anything. Lying down increases it. I cannot lie on the right side of my face as pressure to it hurts and I am experiencing electric shock style pains in my cheek consistent with TMN.
The motor function has returned to my face, however there is still a small amount of droopage. I am worried that permanent damage has been caused and I don't know what to do. Can anyone help? I have scoured the net but cannot find any information relating to this experience.
I should point out that I am waiting for a Wisdom tooth extraction on that side of my face, and I am also booked in for another filling (UR7) but I am very nervous about having any further work done in case there are further problems resulting in more permanent damage. As I said, I am nervous enough without this.The 2nd filling was supposed to be done at the same time, but the dentist decided to re-book me with a different dentist within the practice for the UR7.
Any information concerning this problem would be appreciated as I am considerably worried about it, even if only to direct me to another site.
Many thanks H. x
I am trying to find some information regarding damage to the 7th cranial nerve due to a 'direct hit' when local anaesthetic was being administered.
I am an etremely nervous patient with a great fear of 'The Chair'. It takes a great deal to get me into it, and recently I had to go in for 2 fillings. I also normally need a fair amount of anaesthetic as I don't 'numb up' very easily. This time it was different. Almost immediately on the anaesthetic being administered, my head began to feel numb, around the back of my ear and down into my neck (no change to my jaw though or my lip). I noticed that I could not close my eye. I asked my dentist if this was normal and while he didn't say it was, he said it would be ok.
To cut a long story short, I suffered facial paralysis on the right side of my face. No motor function at all (no smiles, no frowns, couldn't close my eye or blink). Dentist said it would wear off with the anaesthetic - it didn't. I went back to my dentist the next day as I had severe swelling around my jaw, ear and eye. I was told that the 7th cranial nerve, responsible for motor function, had been hit and that although he had only seen it once before in his entire career, he had never known the effects to last longer than a few days. I was sent away being assured that all would return to normal.
Over one week later I am still suffering. I have almost constant pain around my jaw and into my ear and neck. I also have a feeling of pressure which occurs around my neck, the base of my skull, my ear, my cheek and my eye/temple area. My eye also aches deep into the socket. I also get a stinging sensation in my eye, and it weeps, but this is not often. My eye also twitches. Nothing affects this, not painkillers or anything. Lying down increases it. I cannot lie on the right side of my face as pressure to it hurts and I am experiencing electric shock style pains in my cheek consistent with TMN.
The motor function has returned to my face, however there is still a small amount of droopage. I am worried that permanent damage has been caused and I don't know what to do. Can anyone help? I have scoured the net but cannot find any information relating to this experience.
I should point out that I am waiting for a Wisdom tooth extraction on that side of my face, and I am also booked in for another filling (UR7) but I am very nervous about having any further work done in case there are further problems resulting in more permanent damage. As I said, I am nervous enough without this.The 2nd filling was supposed to be done at the same time, but the dentist decided to re-book me with a different dentist within the practice for the UR7.
Any information concerning this problem would be appreciated as I am considerably worried about it, even if only to direct me to another site.
Many thanks H. x
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