Decreased sensation and numbness (paresthesia) of the jaw are associated with impaired function of the trigeminal nerve due to inflammation or damage. Patients may experience minor discomfort or severe difficulties with speech and chewing. More often, patients complain of numbness of the lower jaw, although similar symptoms occur in the upper jaw.

To understand why the jaw goes numb, a comprehensive examination will help. The causes of such a condition are different – from a side effect after dental treatment, to a serious neurological disease. Paresthesia usually extends to part of the tongue, lips, chin, gum, accompanied by pain, burning, discomfort.

If numbness occurred after dental intervention, you should contact the doctor who performed the procedure to prescribe the correct therapy. With a minor nerve injury, paresthesia passes on its own, but with prolonged numbness, serious damage will require long-term treatment.

Causes of numbness of the jaw

Factors that can cause this symptomatology are quite a lot. Among the main causes:

  • accidental damage to the branch of the facial nerve during treatment, extraction, prosthetics of teeth;
  • exit of the filling mass into the mandibular canal;
  • inflammation of the root area of the teeth;
  • allergy to anesthetic, filling material;
  • traumas of the jaw;
  • neuroses;
  • inflammation of the gums, middle ear;
  • pathologies of the ocular canal;
  • TMJ arthritis.

In addition to dental pathologies, facial skull trauma, numbness and neuritis can occur against the background of frequent migraines, hypertensive crises, circulatory disorders, tumor, osteochondrosis of the cervical region, infectious disease, vitamin B deficiency.

Associated symptomatology

The clinical picture depends on the reasons for which the jaw is numb. It can be a slight discomfort, slight tingling, burning, a feeling of running goosebumps. Additionally, the following symptomatology may occur:

  • profuse salivation;
  • severe spasms (trismas) of the masticatory muscles;
  • it is difficult to pronounce certain sounds, smile, speak, swallow;
  • impaired sensitivity of the lips, tongue.

Symptoms manifest themselves in different ways. Numbness of the teeth of the lower jaw and chin, tongue, lips can be constant or have an attack-like character, cover the entire jaw or a small part of it, manifest itself with greater or lesser intensity.

Risks of implantation

One of the complications of mandibular implants is the risk of damage to the mandibular nerve. This can occur if the doctor calculated the size of the implants based on orthopantomogram (OPTG) data rather than 3d tomography. As a result, the walls of the mandibular canal are damaged during insertion, a hematoma is formed, the nerve is pinched. Decreased sensitivity of the innervation zone persists for 2-3 weeks, until the hematoma disappears.

Numbness of the mandible after implantation is a frequent complication for patients with osteoporosis. In this case, the alveolar wall may be defective or absent. Nerve compression occurs due to hemorrhage into the medullary space, tissue edema. Paresthesia occurs the day after the intervention, persists for about 7-10 days. If sensitivity is not restored, the implant is removed, complex treatment is carried out.

Numbness of the teeth of the upper jaw after implantation is less common. Innervation of the maxillary structures is performed by three groups of branches of the facial nerve. Such a structure is quite difficult to damage. Loss of sensitivity of the upper lip, part of the cheek can occur with damage to the alveolar branches or dental plexus in conjunction with perforation of the bottom of the maxillary sinus.

Risks of tooth extraction

Complex tooth extraction with a developed or deformed root system is always accompanied by the risk of damage to a branch or the bulbous plexus of the trigeminal (facial) nerve. The probability of such a complication is especially high when extracting third molars (wisdom teeth). Numbness of the jaw after wisdom tooth extraction may persist from several weeks to several months. If unpleasant symptoms persist for longer than 10-14 days, you should contact the dentist who performed the extraction.

What to do if your jaw is numb

Any persistent neurological symptom is a reason to see a doctor. Self-treatment is inadmissible. If numb teeth and gums after treatment, extraction or prosthetics, you should first go to a dentist’s appointment. In all other cases, you should make an appointment for a consultation with a neurologist, undergo a comprehensive examination.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis with partial or complete numbness of the teeth of the upper jaw, mandibular structures, includes:

  • Dental examination to assess the general situation, supply a preliminary diagnosis. If during the examination the doctor detected implant displacement or nerve injury, further examination is of a clarifying nature.
  • Consultation with a neurologist to assess the neurological status on the damage to the branches of the trigeminal nerve. Specific examination aimed at testing reflexes, sensitivity, to determine the presence/absence of nerve damage.
  • X-ray, CT scan of the jaw – allows to determine the exact cause of loss of sensitivity. Thanks to digital equipment it is possible to calculate the direction and degree of displacement of the implant to the millimeter, to determine the focus of degeneration, to detect inflammation or damage in the zone of innervation disturbance.

After initial diagnosis and establishing the exact cause of the numbness of the lower jaw or the upper half of the cheek, the doctor will prescribe an effective treatment. If indicated, other narrow specialists may be involved in the treatment: neurologist, allergist, ENT, etc.

Methods of treatment

With damage or compression of a nerve trunk, branch or nerve plexus, there are two ways to solve the problem – therapeutic and surgical. Conservative therapy is indicated for incomplete loss of sensitivity, if the tooth goes numb after treatment periodically and the symptoms do not worsen. Therapeutic treatment includes medication and physical therapy.

Surgery is indicated if the feeling of numbness of the upper jaw or mandibular structures is due to trauma during sinus elevator, displacement of bone mass, dentures, implants, complete loss of sensitivity of the innervation zone. During the intervention, the cause of paresthesia is eliminated, the damaged nerve is reconstructed.

Possible complications

If after removal of the tongue, lip, cheek, chin – this can be a normal reaction of tissues to the intervention. In most cases, such symptoms pass on their own, do not require serious treatment. But with severe damage, when scars are formed and the presence of numbness for more than 3 months, it is impossible to restore the functionality of the nerve even by surgery. Then the sensitivity of a separate part of the face will be lost forever.

Prevention

The causes of paresthesia are different, it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of such a complication. But to monitor the health of the teeth is within everyone’s power. Regular dental examinations, timely treatment of teeth, gums, quality diagnostics, minimize the risk of neurological problems associated with dental lesions.

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