Numb Tongue after cavity work

Last week, I had a cavity filled on the right side of my mouth and the dentist numbed the right side of my tongue as well as the right side of my face.

The numbness in my face has went a way, but the numbness on the right side of my tongue is still there and it's been 6 days. How long does this numbness last? Are there any steps I can take to help the healing process? I'm starting to panic over this... eating, swallowing and talking cause discomfort... and my dentist said it would be better in 48 hours... then 72 hours... I want the truth.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

When we give injections, sometimes the needle will actually hit the nerve.  We can't see it when we give an injection so its always a possibility that it can occur.  Sometimes during the injection, you'll feel an electrical shock pain if it makes contact with the nerve.  Sometimes this trauma can cause what we call paraesthesia or numbness.  It can take upwards of 6 months to heal although there's no telling how long it'll actually take.  I don't imagine it'll take 6 months, but a few weeks may not be unusual.