Mouth Nerve Damage

There are very few people who actually enjoy going to the dentist. The thought of metal instruments scraping teeth, drills, and oral injections is enough to make a lot of individuals cringe. Still, regular visits to the dentist are important for maintaining oral cleanliness and health. Sometimes situations arise where a person may need to receive an injection to numb part of their mouth so a particularly procedure can be done with minimal discomfort. Other times, a more serious issue may be present and a person may need to have a tooth removed completely. Both of these procedures pose a potentially serious threat: nerve damage.

The two nerves that are most likely to be damaged by dental and orthodontic work are the lingual nerve and inferior alveolar nerve. Injury to the lingual nerve can cause pain - which can manifest itself in any combination of burning, dull, or achy forms - in the tongue or inside of the cheeks. This sort of damage is often caused by an anesthetic injection (which is sometimes accidently injected directly into a major nerve trunk) or tooth removal. Inferior alveolar nerve damage can cause loss of sensation or pain in the chin, lower lip, or jaw and can also be caused by tooth extraction.

Many nerve injuries caused by dental procedures can be resolved. Nerves can sometimes heal themselves if given adequate time. In other situations, surgery may be necessary to repair damaged nerves and regain lost feeling or cure persistent pain. If you are suffering from the symptoms of nerve damage It is important that you determine the best course of medical action to make as full a recovery as possible. If you wait too long to act, it may become more difficult (or even impossible) to make nerve repairs.

While there is some risk for nerve damage even under ideal circumstances, negligent actions can unnecessarily increase this risk. Unnecessary or overly aggressive procedures, poorly placed crowns, failure to notice complications, and surgical mistakes can all lead to the discomfort associate with nerve damage. These sorts of oversights could mean that a patient has a legitimate chance of receiving compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit. A legal professional can help you determine the details of your situation and explore the possibility of a settlement.

For more information about mouth nerve damage leading to medical malpractice suits, visit the website of Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C.
Joseph Devine

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