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Nerve damage, wisdom teeth, cavity

A

Almiller

Junior member
Joined
Mar 14, 2017
Messages
1
Hi there. So I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed last Thursday (3/9/17). They were all impacted but causing me no issues but my dentist insisted they be removed. Anyways so after the procedure the oral surgeon said that I may be numb for a few days because one of my lower wisdom had broken during removal but that he did get it all. He told my driver this as I was completely out of it after the procedure. Well the same day the numbness had wore off every where but the right side of my bottom lip, chin and gums including some of my front lower teeth. The receptionist had called the day after the procedure to see how I was and I asked about the numbing (not mentioning what the doc had said) and she said well give it 4-5 days and if it's still numb give us a call and basically said that no that's not usually the norm. So we're here 4 days later and it's still just as numb, I do have the occasional tingling sensation on my chin but very rarely. I can't feel hold or cold I mean it's completely numb. They were closed today but I am calling them tomorrow to just ask hey did you hit a nerve? He must have? And I'm terrified that this is going to be permanent, I'm only 22 years old and this is giving me so much anxiety thinking this could be permanent. Another strange thing one of my bottom front teeth that's is also quite numb is this throbbing pain. Where I had my wisdom teeth removed is healing just fine and is giving me no pain at all, it's just constant numbness and pain in a front tooth.

Another concern of mine is I was just told I have my first cavity, I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months so they noticed it as soon as it started. I wish I would have had them fill it when they removed my wisdom teeth but didn't think of it. My concern is that the cavity is one of my lower molars... on the left side. The side that is NOT NUMB.

I know permanent numbness is very rare with a filling but I also know it's fairly rare with wisdom teeth. I know I need to get it filled but I'm terrified that when I do my left side will be numb too. I'm not sure what to do, like I said this is giving me so much anxiety and bothering me so much. I'm terrified that my whole lip, chin and gums could be permanently numb if I get the filling.

Also! I cannot open my jaw all the way, the swelling is gone completely i think but I still cannot open my mouth all the way. I've never had lock jaw symptoms before but now I can't even open it half as much as before. This whole experience has been awful and I wish I never got them removed :(

If anyone had any bits of advice they'd like to share it would be so appreciated and thank you for listening to me rant!
 
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Okay, let's go through the things one by one. The nerve damage, if that's what it is, was probably caused by the fact one of the wisdom teeth extractions was complicated, which your dentist mentioned. You don't need to worry about a simple filling, which is a far less complicated procedure. Your dentist foresaw this numbness because he probably had to dig around a bit for broken fragments. But he got them all, so that's good! And trust me, impacted wisdom teeth may not cause pain but they eventually put pressure on your other teeth and make them more prone to cavities and breaking, so it's really good that they've been removed. :)

The vast majority of nerve damage like this isn't permanent. It can take a few weeks for the numbness and tingling to go away, but I'm sure it will.

As for your jaw, you're simply still healing, and having your mouth wide open for four wisdom extractions has probably strained it a bit, as well as residual swelling. That will pass in time too!

As they noticed your cavity so soon, it will probably only be very small, and quick to be taken care of. I'm sure it will go fine. And I know you wish you hadn't had your wisdom teeth removed, but trust me, I avoided the dentist for several years with impacted wisdom teeth, and when I finally went and saw my x-rays, I could clearly see the tooth was pushing into my other teeth and causing them to tilt into each other! They were breaking really easily by this point. You have absolutely done the right thing. :)

Hang in there. Like I said, most nerve damage is not permanent, as it needs to be really severe. Your jaw will heal too. Just take it easy and hang in there. :hug4:
 
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