48 hrs after Root canal and my mouth is still numb!

[6-line]

Help!!
Any dentists out there?
I informed my dentist after 24 hours that parts of my mouth were still numb and he examined me and said everything looked okay and that I must be one of the "every 2 in 2000" cases that have prolonged effects of the novicane...well, it's been 48 now, does that make me 1 in 2000? I've never had this type of complication with these injections before...
Anyone know of or have experienced something similiar before?

Thanks...

[seasquirt]

It's possible there was some nerve damage when you had the root canal. Sometimes it's just unavoidable. When I had my wisdom teeth removed, it left half of my tongue numb for months. There's still an area about the size of a dime with very reduced sensitivity.

I would call him if you're still concerned after 72 hours. Hope you're OK!

[6-line]

seasquirt,

You may be onto something with the nerve damage..

When I was given the shots I felt a sudden shock as if he shoved a hot 120 volt wire into my gum...he said that was good because the novicane (or whatever) would react faster. The next shot the same thing happened. I've never had a shot hit the nerve before.
At the moment I can barely feel my lower lips and chin.
I'm giving them until Monday (have no choice...weekend)..:rolleyes:

Don't know what else to think..

[tngo0001]

6-line,

I'm sorry to read about your current situation. Hopefully by the time you read this post, your numbness is gone:)

This situation does happen but very rare. Sometimes during the injection, the procedure itself may cause some trauma to the nerve especially when you felt that instant "shock" feeling. That feeling comes about when the very tip of the needle makes direct contact with the nerve which sends out an immediate signal to your brain telling you "PAIN!!"...That slight contact in itself is enough to cause trauma to the nerve which may cause prolong numbness and requires some resting time to recover. I'm quite sure that you'll recover just fine. Just rest and relax and allow your body to heal itself.

In a case where more severe nerve damage may occur such as removal of a wisdom tooth, a much longer healing time is required. In such cases, the roots of the tooth may wrap itself around/on top/below the main branch of the nerve which gives sensation to the lower left/right jaw. Upon removal of the tooth, the nerve may have been torn; therefore, causing prolonged numbness. In some cases, the person may stay numb forever...Again, rare instances but it does occur...

You should contact your dentist on Monday just to be sure. Most likely, he or she will contact you to do a follow-up.

Sorry about the long post but I HTH...;)

[WowAFish]

6-Line. I feel your pain literally. I had one of my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. I haven't had any complications but was warned of the possibilty of what you are describing happening to me. They said it could be temporary or last a long time. Glass half full it's better than being in pain. I had a root canal a while ago and they didn't get the whole thing out :eek2: . I woke up in the middle of the night with a pain you wouldn't believe. Luckily I had a few pills on standby. :p I hope you don't feel any pain and give your dentist a call Monday if the numbness persists. Good Luck.

[6-line]

Thanks all and thanks tngo0001,


It's still somewhat numb today (Sat) and the procedure was done on Wednesday. It may be slightly better, but just slightly. Feels wierd to lick my lips and other acts (such as eating!) and I hope it subsides soon. To add insult to injury, that side of my mouth sort of 'spasms' when I slightly clench my teeth. That cannot be good and it feels strange when it occurs. Is this a side effect from the nerve damage? I wonder if something was short circuited and crossed. ArgggHH!!!:eek2:

Todd

[tngo0001]

Hi 6-line,

The "spasms" that you speak of may be coming from opening your mouth for so long during the dental procedure. It is a muscle spasm that you are experiencing. This is similar to over doing it when you exercise after not doing any exercise for awhile. Your muscles lack oxygen over the long run and it goes into a contraction aka "spasm". Your muscle is not use to being forced to work so much as compared to it's normal daily routine.

Your root canal procedure took a while and your jaw muscle was forced to work overtime trying to keep your mouth open. It is now going through it's recovery process that's all...

I'm glad to hear that you are starting to get some sensation back. Again, just rest and relax. Stay away from chewing gum for the next few days...:D

Tuck