Expert: Tony Appleton BDS DPDS - 9/5/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hey there,
Here is my situation..... I have gone to the dentist last week (Aug 29, 2007) and had 2 fillings repaired. These were both in between 2 teeth on the lower left of my mouth.The dentist used 3 needles to freeze/numb me prior to the work. After the procedure was complete, I was completely frozen on the lower left of my face and half of my tongue was frozen. Once the freezing went away (apprx 6 hours later), I had a constant burning/pain sensation on the front left portion of tonuge, which still persists and seems to be getting worse.  When i wake up from sleeping in the mornings, the pain/discomfort is not as bad as normal, but as day progresses it gets much worse and everything I eat or drink on the left side has no taste or a metallic taste to it. I have also noticed that since the procedure, I have had 2 small bumps on my tongue which was not there prior. This is where the pain seems to be the worse..It is now 6 days later and there is still no relief for my tongue, and seems to be getting worse. It is really bad right now.  Now, I have a few questions to ask......
Does you have any insight on what is causing this? Is there really "nerve damage"? That is what I have been reading online, and everything seems to point to that or BMS (Burning Mouth Syndrome).  I have never had any problems before with my teeth but this is getting ridiculous to deal with. Could this possibly be some kind of allergic reaction to anesthetic? What are the chances of this going away? Also, what would cause a small bump to occur?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.... Thanks in advance.

Jason



ANSWER: Hi Jason

This sounds very much like there has been some damage to your lingual nerve. This can happen on occasions with the particular local anaesthetic technique we use for freezing lower teeth. The needle may have actually brushed the nerve (did you feel an 'electric shock' sensation whilst being injected?) or swelling can put pressure on the nerve. Either way the effects are rarely permanent and although somewhat unpleasant in the short term usually return completely to normal given time.

The bumps on your tongue could be from you having bitten your tongue whilst numb - I know - it sounds daft, but is very common!

Regards

Tony Appleton

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Tony,
 Thanks for the reply...I went to see the dentist that did the freezing and work, and he did say it seemed to be lingual nerve damage... That's is what I figured happened after reading alot of things online.  I have read some troubling stories online regarding this problem lasting for weeks, months, or even years...  That is my biggest concern, on how long I have to deal with this... Is there an average time that this takes to heal and be completely better, by any chance?   
It is still pretty painful/irritating, and gets much much worse as the day progresses..Is there anything that I may be able to take to ease the pain at all? expecially in the evenings?  I have tried Tylenol, and ibuprophen but that doesn't seem to help at all.  The only thing that seems to help is by sucking on Halls which kind of numbs the area temporarily (my dentist thought that was odd!!).  Is there anything that you would recommend to ease the pain?

I am still concerned and considering going to my family doctor(not a dentist) to see if he or someone else he can refer me to, so they can take a look at it.  Is this recommended?

Any more info you can give would be greatly apprecitated, as my dentist seemed to kind of push it off when I went to see him yesterday about it... He didn't seem too concerned about it, but that didn't ease my mind at all given the pain/irritation it is causing...Thanks again Tony, have a great day!

Jason

Answer
Hi Jason

I'm afraid you can't predict how long it will take to heal, although I would have thought it should be much better within a couple of weeks.

There is a mouthwash that may help - here in the UK it is called Difflam. This is anaesthetic as well as antiseptic so may make your mouth more comfortable.

I'd give it a bit longer before getting a second opinion, as all they will say is that it will probably improve with time!

Regards

Tony Appleton