A numb lip can be a complication of lower wisdom tooth extraction. Although rare, it can occur after a routine dental injection but luckily, the feeling usually returns in this case. Your body feels through nerves that go to your brain. When a nerve is cut, the area that it serves can not feel. It's like cutting an electrical wire.

          A numb lip happens when there's inferior alveolar nerve injury since the lip feels using the inferior alveolar nerve. The inferior alveolar nerve enters the inside of the lower jaw at the very back of the mandible. Before becoming the inferior alveolar nerve, it was part of the larger mandibular nerve. On its pathway throught the mandibular canal within the jaw, the inferior alveolar nerve passes closely below the roots of the lower wisdomt tooth. Since it's so close to the wisdom tooth, it can be accidentally cut with a high speed bur during tooth sectioning during a wisdom tooth extraction procedure.

         The patient has a totally numb lip if the inferior alveolar nerve is totally cut in two. If there's tingling, burning or pain in the tongue, part of the inferior alveolar nerve is working and not completely cut. Fortunately, nerves are often able to regenerate and grow when there's a partial pathway and most of these patients recover normal feeling in three to six months. Since a totally cut and separated nerve degenerates, surgery to rejoin a totally severed lingual nerve should be performed as soon as possible.

         If a numb lip occurs without any associated dental work, the problem could have a more serious cause inside the brain and it should be investigated immediately. The dentists at the Atlanta Dental Group PC are dedicated to their patients' good health and well being. You are welcome to join our family of patients. If you are interested in having Dr. Padolsky care for you, call 404-874-7428 for an appointment.