A numb tongue 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 tongue happens when there's lingual nerve injury since the tongue feels using the lingual nerve. The lingual nerve enters the back of the tongue from the back of the mouth. Before becoming the lingual nerve, it was part of the larger mandibular nerve. On its pathway from the brain to the tongue, the lingual nerve travels along the inside wall of the lower jaw just below the lower wisdom tooth. Since it's so close to the wisdom tooth, it can be accidentally cut with a scalpel or with a high speed bur during tooth sectioning during a wisdom tooth extraction procedure.

         The patient has a totally numb tongue if the lingual nerve is totally cut in two. If there's tingling, burning or pain in the tongue, part of the lingual 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 tongue 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.