Numbness of the jaw after wisdom tooth removal

For patient comfort, dental extractions and some types of dental treatment are performed under anesthesia. This allows operations and therapeutic procedures to be performed painlessly.

In some patients, the decrease in sensitivity occurs only in the area where the anesthetic drug is administered, while in others it spreads to adjacent tissues - lips, cheeks, chin.

Normally, the effect of the anesthetic lasts several hours. How much exactly depends on the type of anesthesia:

• for infiltration – 3-4 hours;
• for conductor – 5-6 hours.

If the feeling of stiffness does not go away the next day after visiting the dentist, we may be talking about paresthesia.

Content:

1. Why does paresthesia occur after tooth extraction?
2. How it manifests itself
3. How to treat 3.1. Medicines for paresthesia 3.2. Physiotherapy 3.3. Surgical treatment of paresthesia
4. Why paresthesia needs to be treated
5. How to avoid paresthesia

Sometimes surgery to remove a molar tooth leads to complications. If after it the tongue, lip, chin become numb, taste sensations disappear, they speak of paresthesia. In most cases, this unpleasant condition goes away on its own within one to two weeks, but it happens that it is not possible to do without special treatment.

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Situations requiring tooth extraction are familiar to most of us. Even if we are not talking about removal due to an advanced disease or inflammatory process, at least in childhood, each of us went through the period of changing milk teeth to molars. Sometimes everything happened by itself, and the tooth could be reached literally with your hand in one movement. And sometimes the task required a visit to the dentist's office. Remember what emotions we experienced at this age, what horror every trip to the doctor inspired. Inevitable associations with unbearable pain (which, most often, did not exist at all) and fear of the dental chair. However, with age, everything changes and adults, for the most part, understand that there is no need to be afraid of the dentist, but it is necessary to take care of your teeth, because it is thanks to regular visits to the dentist and careful oral care that it is possible to avoid dental problems and the very pain that comes with it. everyone is afraid.

Unfortunately, not everyone can boast of healthy teeth. Rare visits to the dentist, poor environment, smoking, caries and tooth decay are not the entire list of reasons that contribute to tooth loss. The procedure for tooth extraction may be absolutely painless, but the consequences afterwards are much more serious.

Why does pain occur after tooth extraction?

Pain can be a completely normal reaction of the body. During the tooth extraction process, anesthesia is applied and the patient feels comfortable. A few hours later the pain begins and the patient tries not to notice it - after all, there was an intervention in the body. The pain may be aching, but, as a rule, it practically does not interfere with our lifestyle, and soon it goes away altogether.

Unpleasant sensations after tooth extraction may continue for the next 24 hours. It is worth considering when the pain does not go away for more than two or three days and you are bothered by a headache. Pay attention to the gum and cheek: if there is swelling and swelling, then most likely your dentist did not completely remove the cyst or tooth root. In this case, you should consult a specialist again, or consult a more professional doctor.

Another cause of pain is alveolitis or acute inflammation of the walls of the socket at the site of the extracted tooth. Alveolitis occurs with complex tooth extraction, that is, when the tooth is partially removed. The diagnosis is also possible due to disturbances in the formation of a blood clot closing the wound. A clot is a biological barrier that should protect the socket from infection; if the clot does not appear at all or is dislodged, an infection enters the wound and alveolitis occurs.

With this diagnosis, in addition to a possible headache, there may be a fever, throbbing or acute pain in the socket, eating is almost impossible, sensitivity to cold and hot food or drinks increases, a bitter taste and foul odor appear in the mouth, salivation increases, and the body feels weak. .

Why does paresthesia occur after tooth extraction?

Most often, the problem arises as a result of the “eights” being pulled out.

This is explained by the peculiarities of their location and non-standard direction of growth. The roots of the wisdom teeth go close to the nerve, so during the operation the doctor may inadvertently damage the latter.

Among the reasons for the development of paresthesia after wisdom tooth removal:

• The abnormal location of the unit, the presence of too long and curved roots - when extracting it, it is easy to touch a nearby nerve.
• The opening of severe bleeding after surgery, the appearance of pronounced swelling in the wound area. Because of this, the nerve endings are compressed, do not receive the nutrition they need and begin to work incorrectly.
• Careless actions of the doctor when administering an anesthetic - the needle can damage the lower alveolar process or lingual nerve. Then the tongue, lip and chin become immune to external mechanical influences.

There are factors that increase the likelihood of paresthesia occurring after dental surgery. These include:

• age over 25 years;

• the presence of acute or chronic diseases of internal organs;
• neuralgia;
• history of nerve ending injuries;
• degenerative disorders in intervertebral discs;
• CVS pathologies;
• diabetes;
• pathologies of the endocrine system;
• oncology;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
• deficiency of vitamins and minerals;
• decreased immune defense.

In all these cases, the likelihood of paresthesia increases, so the doctor and patient must exercise special caution and pay due attention to preparatory measures and diagnosis.

Symptoms and causes

The scientific name of this pathology is paresthesia. The main symptoms by which one can suspect the onset of the disease are: a burning sensation, the appearance of goosebumps and slight tingling in the soft tissues, numbness of part of the dentition or the entire jaw at once. This condition can be caused by many reasons. It is important to understand that numbness is not always a sign of a developing disease, but it is still worth seeing a doctor.

The main factors that provoke the loss of usual sensitivity: inflammatory processes in the root system, for example, periodontitis, severe injuries to the jaw, problems with the temporomandibular joint and malocclusion, disruption of the work algorithm during installation of implants, poor-quality dental treatment, stress and tension, violation integrity of nerves, etc.

Less common causes today are allergic reactions (to medications used by the dentist or to a sudden change in air temperature) and a significant outflow of blood from the head.

How it manifests itself

Paresthesia after tooth extraction should not be confused with the effect provided by the anesthetic. The latter passes without a trace in 4-6 hours. The development of complications is indicated by:

• numbness of part of the face (the patient complains

  
  that a separate area becomes as if plastic, hard);

• running “goosebumps” all over the cheek;
• unpleasant burning sensation;
• painful sensations.

These symptoms may last from several days to several months. Sometimes it is possible to get rid of them only after a year. In the latter case, it is customary to talk about a persistent or chronic form of the disease.

How to treat

In the first days of numbness, get medical help

not necessarily, since there is a high probability that everything will go away on its own. Only if painful symptoms persist for more than a week should you make an appointment with the doctor who performed the dental surgery.

Since nerve fibers react very sharply to oxygen deficiency, the process of complete recovery takes a long time. The patient may be offered the following treatment options:

• medication;
• physiotherapy;
• surgical.

Medicines for paresthesia after tooth extraction

To restore the functions of the damaged nerve, the patient is prescribed drugs that reduce blood viscosity and stimulate local blood circulation. Good results can be achieved by taking B vitamins.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapeutic procedures are usually used along with drug therapy. Among the most effective for the described disease:

• Magnetic therapy. It consists of influencing nerve fibers with a magnetic field. Perfectly removes swelling and relieves inflammation.
• Use of electric currents of ultrahigh frequencies. It is designed to relieve muscle tone, increase blood flow to the numb area and block the further spread of inflammatory reactions.
• Introduction of drugs into the area of ​​paresthesia using electrical discharges of minimal intensity. The procedure is designed to quickly restore damaged tissue, relieve pain, and combat the feeling of crawling “goosebumps”.
• Mud therapy. Has a general strengthening effect. Helps increase the body's defenses.

Surgical treatment of paresthesia

Operations for this diagnosis are performed very rarely - only if it is not possible to achieve positive dynamics with the help of medications and physical procedures. The oral and maxillofacial surgeon is responsible for the surgical intervention. After administration of the anesthetic, it restores impaired nerve conduction.

Diagnosis and treatment

To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor collects anamnesis, conducts an examination, and evaluates the reaction of the affected area to various stimuli. One of the most important methods of differential diagnosis is periapical radiograph. Upon completion of diagnostic measures, a treatment regimen is drawn up. This may include:

• injections of drugs that improve blood circulation and reduce blood viscosity;
• taking specialized complexes with B vitamins;
• magnetic and electrotherapy;
• surgical intervention.

The treatment plan is developed individually for each patient. The recovery time for the jaw nerve depends on the degree of damage and treatment methods.

Why paresthesia needs to be treated

Some patients whose symptoms are mild refuse treatment. They get used to living with a numb part of their face and do not want to devote time to long-term treatment measures. You can't do that.

The fact is that in the absence of the necessary therapy, the entire sensitive part of the nerve can be affected. Then the sensitivity of a separate part of the face will be lost completely and forever. Therefore, in order to avoid such a complication, you must definitely consult a dentist if paresthesia does not go away on its own.

How to avoid paresthesia

To ensure that any tooth extraction occurs without complications,

you need to approach it wisely. Before surgery, the patient must undergo x-rays and an orthopantomogram. These methods will allow the doctor to study the structure of the root system of the tooth and draw up an effective plan for the upcoming treatment. An experienced dental surgeon should be responsible for removal.

It is necessary to understand that fear of possible complications is not a reason to postpone treatment until later. Trust your health to talented specialists, and then everything will be fine. Call our clinic and make an appointment.