Nerve damage after wisdom teeth removal
Whilst fairly rare, it is possible that some people will experience nerve damage from a tooth removal procedure. Wisdom teeth specifically are sometimes found close to a nerve which supplies feeling to the lips and tongue, which can mean that extraction has a higher risk of causing some level of nerve damage than many other dental procedures. Your dentist should discuss any such risk with you before undertaking a procedure like this, to ensure that you can give informed consent for the treatment.
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If you have had a wisdom tooth removed and have suffered nerve damage as a result, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your dentist was at fault. Your dentist will only be deemed negligent if the injury (in this case, nerve damage) was avoidable, and it was their error or poor standards of care that caused you harm.
If you believe that your nerve damage was caused by your dentist’s negligence when you had a wisdom tooth extracted, you may be eligible to make a claim for compensation. Get in touch with our expert team for more information and to find out if you have a claim.
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Symptoms of nerve damage after tooth extractionSome of the signs of nerve damage after tooth extraction may include:
- Pain that doesn’t fade after a day or two, post-wisdom tooth extraction.
- A tingling sensation that doesn’t fade once the local anaesthetic has worn off.
- Numbness in your tongue, lip, chin, gums or teeth after the anaesthetic has worn off.
Whilst the signs themselves may seem minor, these symptoms of nerve damage following wisdom tooth extraction can make it very difficult to eat and drink and can also sometimes cause issues with speech or your ability to taste.
If the nerve damage caused by your wisdom tooth extraction is fairly minor, the symptoms will usually disappear after a few days or weeks. However, more extensive nerve damage can take several months to heal and if the damage done was severe, sometimes the symptoms you experience may be permanent.
If your nerve damage was caused by dental negligence, you may be able to claim for compensation for the injury that you have suffered and the impact that it has had on your life. Get in touch with us to find out more.
Wisdom tooth extraction complications
As previously mentioned, one of the potential wisdom tooth extraction complications can be nerve damage. Whilst these complications are rare, they do sometimes happen, so it’s important that your dentist talks you through any risks before you undergo the procedure.
Other potential wisdom tooth removal complications can include:
Dry socket – where the socket (the area the tooth was removed from) doesn’t heal as it should, and a blood clot fails to form there or is dislodged from its position.
Infection – where the extraction site becomes infected. Symptoms of this include pain and swelling, yellow or white discharge or pus in the area, or a high temperature.
Bleeding – where the extraction site doesn’t stop bleeding after the procedure is finished. A few spots of blood are expected, but any persistent bleeding can be a sign something isn’t quite right.
These types of wisdom tooth removal issues are not necessarily a sign that your dentist was negligent with your care, but if you think that their mistake or failure to act has caused you an injury following your wisdom tooth extraction, you might be eligible for compensation. Contact us to find out more, by calling us on 0808 291 3079
Treating nerve damage from a tooth extraction
Treating nerve damage from a tooth extraction
Minor nerve damage caused by wisdom tooth extraction will often require no treatment. The symptoms should fade on their own after a few days or weeks.
You may want to take the medication you usually rely on to treat pain, perhaps non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relief, such as ibuprofen, or painkillers like paracetamol to help manage the pain until it fades away on its own.
For more serious nerve injuries caused by wisdom tooth extraction, where the symptoms last for longer than a few weeks, there may be some treatment options which can be explored, although sometimes the damage is permanent and the patient may never return to how they were before the nerve injury. In some cases, there may be an opportunity for some wisdom tooth nerve damage repair to be done surgically, depending on the specifics of your injury.
If your nerve damage was caused by your dentist’s negligence when they removed one or more of your wisdom teeth, you may be able to claim compensation for what has happened to you. Get in touch with our team to discuss your options.
You can contact us for a free claim assessment and to discuss your options
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the risk of nerve damage from wisdom tooth extraction?
Most wisdom tooth extractions are carried out successfully with no issues, but your dentist should talk to you about any risk of nerve damage before you agree to the procedure. Your dentist should ensure that you’re aware of any potential risks in relation to treatment they carry out, so that you understand what the potential consequences could be. If you do suffer long-term or even permanent nerve damage from wisdom tooth extraction, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your dentist was negligent in their care, but if they did not make you aware of the risk before the procedure was carried out, you might be eligible to claim compensation.
How common is nerve damage after wisdom tooth removal?
Nerve damage after a wisdom tooth is taken out is relatively unusual. That said, it does happen sometimes. If you have experienced this painful and worrying condition, you might be able to make a dental negligence compensation claim, depending on your circumstances.
To find out more about this type of dental negligence and what your options are, contact us today.
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Client Stories
Compensation received: £10,000
A MAN FROM THE SOUTH EAST HAS LOST HIS TOOTH AND UNDERWENT UNESSECARY ROOT CANAL TREAMENT AFTER HIS DENTIST FAILED TO SPOT TOOTH DECAY. • Mr L lost his tooth after his dentist failed to spot and treat tooth decay. • He also underwent unnecessary pain and an avoidable root canal procedure. • £10,000 awarded […]
Compensation received: £8,000
• A woman from the east of England suffered an avoidable period of pain and suffering as a result of infection and suffered an avoidable repeat root canal treatment. • Ms C lost a tooth and will lose another tooth in the future. • £8,000 awarded in compensation Between 2011 to 2013 […]
Compensation received: £5,000 out of court settlement
• Ms R experienced severe episode of pain and sensitivity • An infection in her tooth was left to spread which eventually led to its avoidable extraction • £5,000 awarded in compensation Ms R suffered multiple episodes of pain when her dentist failed to perform a root canal treatment properly, this meant many trips to […]