Facial paralysis hours after anesthesia has worn off...dentist help please

[mommasquarepants]

Hi, my 5 year old daughter had 2 molars(left top and bottom) filled this morning around 11:30 am. 3:30pm rolled around and the left side of her face was still immobile. I called the dentist who said that it should wear off around dinner time but if it hasn't gone away by tomorrow morning I should call them back and bring her in for them to take a look at her. Well it's 7:30pm and she says she can feel her gums, tongue and cheek but her face is still completely paralyzed all the way up the left side of her face. She can blink, but beyond that it doesn't move...not when she smiles, laughs....ANYTHING. I'm worried that something went wrong when they gave her the local anesthetic and am wondering if I should be concerned or if this is something normal that will go away on its own. If something DID go wrong, what are the chances that this is permanent and can it be treated? I'm really worried and would like any help that can be given to me. I guess I should also mention that she's not having any trouble swallowing, breathing, etc...its just that the outside of her face is paralyzed. Thank you all in advance.

 

[Zzzdentist]

Re: Facial paralysis hours after anesthesia has worn off...dentist help please

Most likely things will return to normal by tomorrow. I have read about some cases where most likely due to the type or amount of anesthetic used, a temporary Bells Palsy can result for an extended length of time. I would suggest giving it some more time for it to wear off.

 

[allydowd]

Re: Facial paralysis hours after anesthesia has worn off...dentist help please

The same thing happened to me after a large dose of local anaesthetic. I got all feeling back after 12 hours.

I called the NHS helpline in the evening and they gave me the option of going straight to A and E or going straight to the local dental hospital or waiting. I decided to wait. Maybe if you're worried and you live in the UK you could call the helpline, they might be able to reassure you. I think the English number is 0845 4647. (It's meant to be a short number.) The numbers for other areas can be found on the NHS website.