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Dental Nerve Damage Compensation Claims

If you’ve suffered nerve damage as a result of negligent treatment from your dentist, you may be eligible to make a dental nerve damage claim.

At the Dental Law Partnership, we specialise in dental injury claims, operating on a no-win, no-fee basis to help people like you get the compensation you deserve.

Want to see if you have a case for dental negligence? You can start your claim here or call us free of charge on 0800 152 2031.

See if you have a case for dental negligence:

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or call us free on: 0800 0853 823

Can You Sue a Dentist for Nerve Damage?

Yes, you can sue a dentist for nerve damage if your nerve injuries have been caused by dental negligence – this includes your dentist failing to carry out a dental procedure correctly.

If you have undergone a dental treatment that has caused lasting numbness, loss of taste, loss of sensation or other prominent symptoms of nerve damage, you have three years to start your claim.

As well as physical injuries, dental negligence also includes cases in which a dentist has failed to diagnose a condition, failed to treat a condition correctly, or has failed to secure informed consent before the treatment.

Contact our team today to find out whether you have a valid case for dental negligence.

What Are the Most Common Dental Nerve Damage Symptoms?

As dental nerve damage can involve several different nerves (the lingual nerve, the inferior alveolar nerve and the trigeminal nerve), there are a number of signs that can indicate a problem.

Some of the main symptoms of nerve damage after dental work include:

Numbness or lack of feeling in the tongue, gums, cheeks, jaw or face

A tingling or pulling sensation in these areas

Nerve pain after dental work or a burning feeling in these areas

Loss of the ability to taste

Difficulties with speech and/or eating due to one or more of the above

Signs of nerve damage can sometimes be temporary, lasting for a short time after the procedure. However, in some cases involving serious damage, they can be permanent. If you’ve recently had a dental treatment and you notice any of the symptoms above, it’s important to speak to your dentist as soon as possible.

The trigeminal nerve is the one usually affected during dental treatment, as parts of this nerve are in close proximity to the jaw and mouth. The trigeminal nerve is also the nerve responsible for feeling/sensation in the face, as well as for functions such as chewing and biting. Nerve damage as a result of dental negligence can lead to numbness of the face, lips, and tongue, difficulties eating and many other serious issues.

What Should I Do if I Think I Have a Nerve Injury Due to Dental Negligence?

If you’ve had dental treatment that resulted in a nerve injury and you feel that your dentist was at fault for this, you might be eligible to open a dental negligence claim.

You’ll need to hire a solicitor specialising in the area of dental negligence such as the Dental Law Partnership. We work on a strictly no-win, no-fee agreement, ensuring you’ll only pay a small fee for our services if your case is successful. You can get free legal advice and discuss your options by contacting our team for free on 0800 152 2033.

How much compensation could I get for a nerve injury claim?

As with any type of dental negligence claim, the amount of compensation you may receive if your dentist has caused nerve damage will depend on the circumstances of your specific case. The factors taken into consideration for compensation could include:

The severity of your nerve damage symptoms
The long-term prognosis of the nerve injury
The impact that the symptoms have on your daily life and normal activities

At the Dental Law Partnership, our team of expert dental negligence solicitors are on hand to help you with your dental nerve damage claim and answer any questions you may have.

We can discuss your options and potential next steps when required – request a callback today to find out more.

What types of dental treatments are most likely to result in nerve damage?

Whilst most dental procedures go to plan without nerve damage being caused, there are some types of treatment that have a higher risk than others for this kind of dental injury.

Your dentist has a duty of care to inform you of any potential risks, side effects and alternative treatments before carrying out any treatment. This means that if something goes wrong and your dentist does not inform you of the risks in advance of your procedure, you may be able to follow the dental negligence claims process.

Nerve damage after tooth extraction: Signs that your nerve has been damaged during a tooth extraction include pain, tingling, or numbness in your lower lip, chin, tongue, teeth, or gums.
Nerve damage after fillings: Fillings, no matter how deep they are, can get close to the sensitive nerve endings in your teeth. If you have experienced persistent pain that did not go away after a few days, you may have suffered dental nerve damage as a result of a bad filling.
Nerve damage from dental implants: As part of the process for fitting dental implants, holes are drilled into the jaw. If your dentist mistakenly drills too far, this can result in nerve damage. Another way that this procedure can cause nerve damage is if the dental implant is longer than it should be, making it press on the tooth nerve.
Nerve damage from root canal treatments: This type of treatment can sometimes cause tooth nerve damage if the root canal causes trauma to the surrounding area, or if the solution used in the cleaning process is allowed to infiltrate other parts of the mouth or jaw.

Start your nerve damage compensation claim today

Dental nerve damage can be distressing and costly, especially if permanent harm has been caused. Despite being a rare occurrence, it’s important to take action if you’re unhappy with dental treatment and suspect your dentist has acted negligently.

At the Dental Law Partnership, we’re a specialist firm of dental negligence solicitors, using our expert knowledge to help our clients seek the compensation they deserve.

If you’ve suffered from nerve damage during dental treatment, get in touch to start your dental nerve damage claim.

FAQ's

How Long Do Nerve Injuries Last?

The length of time that you might experience symptoms of nerve damage will vary, depending on the nature and severity of the damage that was caused.

If the damage is very severe, there is a chance that the injury will not get better and any symptoms experienced may be long-term or permanent.

The symptoms can have a big impact on the daily life of patients suffering from a nerve injury as a result of dental treatment, so if your injury came as a result of dental negligence, you may be able to claim compensation.

Can Dental Anaesthesia Cause Nerve Damage?

Although rare, persistent and sometimes permanent nerve damage can occur after dental injections and anaesthesia.

Temporary nerve damage is more common, and it usually improves within a few days or weeks. Permanent nerve damage after a local anaesthetic injection near nerves close to the affected area during your dental procedure is rare, but not unheard of. Sometimes, your dentist’s needle can come into contact with or ‘hit a nerve’, causing a sensation not unlike an electric shock. This can occasionally be all it takes to produce paraesthesia (pins and needles) during dental treatment.

How Common Is Nerve Damage During Wisdom Tooth Removal?

There is a nerve which controls sensation to the chin, lower lip and lower teeth that runs through the lower jaw, sometimes located near the lower wisdom teeth.

If, during wisdom tooth extraction, this nerve is bruised or stretched, some patients may experience numbness in the chin, lip or lower teeth on that side. Nerve damage may be temporary and can take up to 6 months to heal – however, in severe cases, this nerve damage can be permanent. Many people experience numbness or tingling in the face or jaw after their wisdom teeth are removed.

After a few days, the sensation should return to normal.

Can Treatment on Your Front Teeth Cause Nerve Damage?

Yes, having dental work carried out on your front teeth can lead to nerve damage.

The nerves in your teeth are in the ‘pulp.’, which is the bundle of small nerves that gather in the blood vessels at the centre of the tooth. If you have nerve pain that concentrates on one specific tooth, the problem is more than likely affecting the tooth pulp itself. This can be caused by a cracked or chipped tooth, an infection, recent fillings or teeth grinding.

Your tooth could also hurt due to sensitivity issues. Dental sensitivity (sensitive teeth) arises when the tooth’s enamel is damaged or eroded away. Heat, cold and acid can reach the sensitive nerve endings in the dentin layer of the tooth and cause pain.

Teeth whitening products, receding gums, and untreated cavities may lead to pain in your teeth. If you have had recent gum surgery that exposes the tooth roots, this can also cause nerve pain in your front teeth.

Can a Tooth Infection Cause Nerve Damage?

When the pulp in a tooth is damaged, it can break down – leaving ample opportunity for bacteria to multiply within the pulp chamber. This can develop into a tooth infection or dental abscess that forms at the end of a tooth’s root.

This can lead to:

Swelling that spreads to other areas of the face, neck, even extending to the head in some cases

Bone loss at the tip of the root

Drainage issues – a hole can appear in the side of the tooth, draining into the gums or even through the cheek into the skin.

All these issues can magnify existing toothache and exacerbate pain after dental work, so it’s crucial you seek help from your dentist if you suspect these symptoms.

How much does it cost to make a dental nerve damage claim?

At the Dental Law Partnership, our cases are carried out as a no-win, no-fee agreement.

This means that if your claim is unsuccessful, you will not pay any legal costs. If your claim is successful, a small percentage of the compensation awarded is used to pay our legal fees, which means there’s no financial risk if you decide to make a claim. If your claim isn’t successful, you won’t pay us anything.

Call us today on 0808 152 2032 for an initial, no-obligation chat about your potential claim.

Is there a time limit for opening a dental negligence claim?

For people wanting to make a dental negligence claim of any type, the limit is three years from the point when the negligence occurred, or from the point when the patient became aware of the negligence.

For patients who were under the age of 18 when the negligence occurred, the three-year limit begins on their eighteenth birthday. For those suffering from a mental illness at the time the negligence happened, the three-year limit begins when they have recovered from the illness.

As the claims process can often take some time and can be quite complex in nature, we recommend you start the process as soon as possible. You can find out more about proving dental negligence here.

Can I sue my NHS dentist in a nerve damage claim?

If you have suffered from nerve damage as a result of dental negligence, it doesn’t matter whether the dentist was performing NHS or private treatment; you deserve justice regardless.

If something goes wrong when you are putting your trust in any dentist, and you believe the fault is a result of their negligence, you may be able to open a dental negligence claim. For more information, please see our NHS dental negligence claims guide.

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