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NUMB CHIN AND LOWER LIP

HAD LOWER LEFT WISDOM TOOTH OUT TUESDAY AND NOW IT IS SEVEN DAYS LATER AND STILL HAVE LEFT LOWER LIP AND LEFT SIDE OF CHIN NUMBNESS AND FRONT LOWER TEETH AND GUM ON INSIDE ALSO..GOING BACK TO ORAL SURGEON ON THURSDAY TO SEE WHAT HE SAYS..ALSO ALTHOUGH THERE IS THE NUMBNESS I HAVE PERIODIC ITCHING FEELING AND CRAWLEY FEELINGS IN MY CHIN AND LIP, DOES THIS MEAN I HAVE INFERIOR ALVELOAR NERVE DAMAGE..WILL IT GET BETTER  IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN TAKE TO HELP THIS SITUATION..THANKS FOR THE HELP
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Unlimited 777 andEtal, sorry to inform ya but no one posts here anymore . The only one wth diligence was Timeheals and he has moved on. Cant blame him for being a bit upset because after 3 by years things did not heal fo for him as much as he deserved

I will tell you all this, it will be one of the hardest things you face in your lifetime.You want your face to feel good, no one wants there face and mouth to feel poor, its simply different than any other part of the body.....we are more sensitive there and vulnerable

The tightness friggin sucks but you just gotta taoe care of yourself and pray the nerve continues to ease the feelings as time passes

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My chin will be numb for the rest of my life :(
whyy is that??? is your nerve completely cut??
2 Years counting
So does it feel tight or numb ??
I think it is combination of tight and numb, more tight i guess, can't really tell what this feeling is.
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Hey all, I too am experiencing the same conditions due to extraction of wisdom teeth. I am one week in and the tightness in my chin and lips are extremely aggravating. Any success stories or good news for anyone?
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Now its wait and watch situation... you are only 1 week out...its early...
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Heyyy...wata the situation with tightness guys
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Im not sure Darq, no 1 here has mentioned their problem stemming from that ? You better yet ?
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I am concerned, since my numbness/tingling pain didn't start with an extraction, it begain with the use of orajel on my broken tooth that's beside my lower K9.
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Heyy...did ur issues improved??
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Btw Timeheals , 2 things. I know you said regression seems to happen before better feelings come, but does that hod true even 6 months in. Like if tightness and pain when touched were dissipating to pretty close to normal but then it all comes back tight and painful..... is that still normal with this injury even as far as 6 months in .


I also saw you post that peripheral nerves continue to regenerate throughout our lifetime .... you said that after consulting with a team of experts, its hard for me to grasp that . Like do you mean slowly the nerve will present sligntly more normal feeelings as time goes on even if most of the healing has already occurred,  and were these experts taking into consideration the inferior alveolar nerve specifically when considering slow lifetime improvements

You know its strange, ive been injured more times than I can count and Ive always trusted the body to repair itself. This is the first time in my life I dont have that confidence .
Im just not sure what the nerve could still do after 6 months, but I also dont understand why the nerve would relapse either. The nerve is not in my jaw dying , im taking the best multivitamin in the world and takinf excellent care of myself. So why does it relapse lime this and send off such bad signals as if it is deteriorating even after big improvements

Sigh

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7 Comments
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but quite possible you will have abnormal aka uncomfortable sensation in your mouth moving forward Clint.  Like myself you may have worse case for this injury.  There is relief however.  I am approaching 3 years and I live with some level of daily discomfort that cycles from bad to tolerable.  So I am considering a procedure called Radio Frequency Ablation to kill the nerve completely on my lower right side.  At University of Florida hospital I recently went through a trial and had mouth numbed with a dental needle and it was the first time in almost 3 years my mouth feel acceptable.  So, this trial basically represents what killing the nerve would feel like which is much better than the sensation in my mouth I live with daily so I am seriously considering it later this year.  I can email a case study of this procedure to anybody interested if you send me a private message.  It can be performed in many hospitals throughout the US and I presume in other parts of the world.  RFA is used on other parts of the body as well for chronic relieve of neuropathic pain including neck and spine area.  The doctor who wrote the white paper associated with ablating the inferior alveolar nerve…now runs a pain clinic in California and I can provide his contact information as well if anybody cares to contact him.
In summary Clint, some recover from their nerve injury and some don’t.  All depends on the severity of the injury to the nerve.  Word up.  Numbness is better than profound tightness and abnormal sensations running through your lip and chin.  
Hope that helps some seeking relief.
But wait? All that mumbo jumbo about plenty of time to heal written on each and every page ?

Im only 6 months into this ?
Didnt Starbrite,Blessed2beme, and sarahnumb all have tightness throughout their healing process . Sarah had hers till like 9 months , Starbrite said hers was fadingn slowly then did a final post 3 years later and said it wasnt in lip or chin just centered on canine tooth ...same with blessed2beme?

Just weeks ago it seemed like I was turning a corner fo rthe better. IF it was going to be really bad then it wouldnt of showed me those good days and weeks... like it would always be very bad sensations coursing through mouth mixed in with just bad sensations......

I dont really have any numbness maybe 5% if that. when I purse my lips then smile it doesnt really feel too tight. Just when I talk it seems to well up a bit under my lip and even at times it loosens up a lot .

I went from the first month of extreme tightness in lip and numbness , no pain , then after about 30-40 days I had almost all feeling back but still had the tightness.

Then about 4 months later the tightness in lip when pursing and smile faded a whole lot, to almost none. But the speaking still irritated it .

My chin feels a bit weird when I touch it, some pain in the size of a dime by my inner bottom lip and chin, but feels normal  a lot of times too, some tingles as well or bubbly sensations which leads me to believe its still healing ?

I have had a couple of bad weeks now since feeling really good on Feb 16..... but I thought that was all part of this. I know I might not heal 100% but you and the others here have always gave me hope that the nerve would continue to heal and more normal sensations such as tightness would continue to fade(if even after times of it getting bad again).

Kinda shocked me with this last post , I know you dont know my fate and all, but it seems all the optimism has drained outta ya over the last year .
I know 3 years is a long time about 1000 days, but im only 195 days into this . That RFA procedure isnt a option for me but I hope it gives you the comfort you have been hoping for

So you dont believe the nerve heals a whole lot after the initial 6-7 months of beginning healing and reconnecting? Earlier you said the nerve heals throughout lifetime ,I just kinda hoped the nerve would keep fighting for me to bring this tightness tension down over the next 6-12 months.....

Im more confused then ever. This thread is the only thing that has given me hope that my future wont be so bad because slowly the nerve would continue to fight to make sensations more normal over time like the other longterm sufferers





"Best of luck to those that say are less than one year from their injury and yet believe they are well away from being healed.  Many have come forward here and stated pretty unanimously that there is discernible healing between the 1 and 2 year period"






"Further injustice to those needlessly injured?  What the medical literature teaches surgeons and dentists about nerve recover.  It is widely inaccurate and irresponsible and in layman's terms, utter BS.  The 6 month mantra of what you see is what you get, it a complete false narrative as debunked by many testimonials here and a gross injustice to those unfortunate to suffer this injury and live in silent despair believing their quality of life will be forever degraded. "






" No we don't know the future, but statistics are largely in your favor and if not perhaps perfect recovery...more like a benign acceptable or new normal which will be perfectly tolerated and perhaps diminish to perfect normalcy over time. "






"But just like my mouth has changed 'substantially' from the 6 months to 1.5 year point, yours will too.
My mouth in fact continues to change weekly and I expect to follow the path of AprilChristine and Starbrite and others who have made it past the two year point and are still recovering"







These are all quotes by you that I have been holding onto dearly over these 6 months . Now Im not sure what to think. Thanks for responding but I wish you still remained as hopeful as you did in these posts.

Take care George :-(
You are trying to assign certainty to nerve damage you and others has sustained.  I have learned a lot about this injury over the years including how much improvement or lack thereof I can expect moving forward.  I will try to break it down for you a bit:
- Some that sustain injury to the IAN recover completely
- Some that sustain injury to the IAN will have a deficit aka some level of numbness they will barely notice
- Some will have discernible change of sensation without pain and some degree of noticeable tightness
- Some will struggle with this like myself after 3 years.  In summary, my nerve was profoundly injured by my tooth extraction. Short of severing the nerve, the injury to my nerve is likely worse case.

So how do you know where you fall in the pecking order above?  Time.  You are 6 months in.  I believe you will know your fate more 1 to 1.5 years in.  Nobody, not a doctor on the planet has a crystal ball to understand how much you will recover.  Age however is on your side being still a young man.
Above is what I now believe because I live worse case.  The amount of recovery I have achieved is largely degrading to my quality of life. My spirit however rises above it.  I refuse to bow to this injury and move forward each day as before.  I have a warrior spirit basically.  Day to day I have lived with a fair degree of discomfort…magnified by jaw motion aka speaking and eating.
So for me, as with the two other people in the case study I referenced, RFA is likely my best path moving forward.
Please explain why RFA is not an option for you as you state.  
Btw, you post a lot about not being able to move forward with your life etc.  I was injured far worse that you.  My mouth for almost a year felt like it was plugged into an electrical wall socket.  I was having anxiety attacks daily.  I know people that have been house bound for a year due to this injury because of the devastation and they finally emerged.   If you can’t cope with the symptoms you report which seem much less severe than what I went through, I highly suggest you seek therapy and anti depressant meds.  Issues like this can bankrupt brain chemistry and by administration of AD meds, you can get your life back even with being less than your perfect self.


Yeah I know. I just want to feel confident that the nerve is still inside
working on itself. I know they say the nerves grow and so forth but this isnt the case with this injury , its a short distance. So the growing with time connecting thing isnt a factor.

So even though the axons and growth cone have reached their destination , the nerve apparently still continues to work and rebuild itself to more normal feelings . Because the inch per month thing and within a few months its all connected or what not.

Like I said , I just want to know that my body/nerve isnt accepting this and is
trying to make sensations more normal month by month. You are confident of that in the first 12 -15 months right Timeheals, that the nerve continues to improve one way or another?

Im reading over Starbrite and blessed2me,along with sarahnumb and even kazlilly posts and they said the tightness continued to wear down with time... even though numbness went away ....

I just dont think the RFA procedure is for me as I dont want any more invasive procedures done to my body. I have been banged up to all hell with broken bones and injuries in only 34 years of life, speaking of 34 years old, you think that really has a impact on how much my nerve continues to correct itself?
Like, thats not just a saying?

Ive always appreciated your posts and still wish the best for you but I know after 3 years the way your still feeling its not looking good. Damn, cant believe a freaking extraction hurt the nerve that much ? Roots or not , it had to of ripped at the nerve to cause all that damage.

When you say jaw motion bothers you , like opening your jaw causes what ? Pain,tightness? Even eating does ? Explain the feeling in as much detail if you dont mind . My tightness feels good when im eating, but for some reason i can feel a tension well up when I talk real pronounced with my lips. Eating helps me though, it loosens it up in a way.

Wish you the best man, hope you comment back. And bol with that procedure if you go through with it.  

Thanks Clint.
The lesson in all of this is…it isn’t an even playing field therefore its unknown who will recover and who won’t.  I have recovered to the point my mouth feels like I am not longer plugged into a wall outlet.  For that I am beyond grateful.  There are no words in my vocabulary that can describe the first 6 months of this injury.  My mouth still feels generally feels poorly however and why killing the nerve completely is my best avenue.  I learned this while undergoing the trial numbing procedure at U of F. Numbness feels a lot better than profound tightness and continuous nerve agitation.  Not even close.
I also believe…and not to scare anybody here about their recovery, I am worse case or close to it.  I hoped this wasn’t going to be my story...a guy luckier than most with my health throughout my life...but time has taught me that is what I have been dealt.  And for further perspective, unlike you, I have been one of the healthiest people I know…always an exercise junkie and picture of health.  This was my first big health threat.

That said, my life is pretty close to normal.  I do what I want and when I want.  Yes, my mouth bugs me but some people have issues like arthritis and other pain related symptoms they have to live with.  Mine is simply nerve damage affecting my mouth and when I get the procedure…I have been putting it off a bit….I believe I will feel better…just like I did when I had my mouth numbed by the dental needle as a trial test.
I am hopeful you continue to recover Clint.  Stay hopeful.  In the absence of knowing you won’t recover, don’t lose hope you won’t recover.  Only reason I know I won’t  is because I haven’t.  This doesn’t apply to you or anybody else here.  Each of us are different.  As discussed, many improve dramatically over the months and this injury is no longer a problem for them.

Best of luck
explain agitation . And where(every single spot) is the tightness when you eat and speak ?Which one is worse, eating or speaking ?

You have pain without touching any areas of your face or mouth ?

Im glad your life is overall almost back to  normal though, that would take a warrior spirit as you said.

Answer this too , since the regrowing of the nerve has reached its destination (since its a short distance with inferior nerve) what occurs after 6 months ?
How did starbrite,sarahnumb,blessed2beme
continue to have breaktroughs so long
after the nerve had grown back to its previous spot? Is it that even though the nerve has reached its area , it still continues to heal within inside itself ?
Is that why we see the fine tuning of sensations getting better in time?
Is because the nerve keeps on working at patching itself up and making sensations more normal in doing so ? Kinda also how kazlilly said her tightness went from a 7 to a 2 from the 1 year to 2 year period

See all I hear with long term sufferers getting better is because the perip nerve they have toruble with has to reach a long distance which takes time.

So in a sense, the inferior nerve once its reaches its target still continues to get better and more healthy to make abnormal sensations more normal. Like I said with the fine tuning the tightness, weirdness,and other abnormalties
Is that what you apparently believe as well. That regeneration is more than the nerve regrowing to reach a certain point .

Thats where Im at right now, I just want to know the nerve isnt going to give up and be satisfied with where it is at. I still feel tickly sensations almost daily in it , and it gets loose then gets tight again , as right now its not all that tight at all but if i was to try to sing or yell moving my mouth around like a crazy person it would start to tense and coil up .

BUt the tightness seems to be getting better I guess because before I felt the tightness even when I didnt move my mouth at all .

I hope you read though what questions I asked and provide some more details ,especially since everyone else gave up on the forum ... which is a damn shame to be honest with ya . A damn shame
lol sigh
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