numbness after dental injection

[leeleeBird]

Did I get nerve damage?3 weeks ago my dentist gave me an injection in the lower back of my jaw in order to do a root canal. I felt a shock at the time of the injection and my tongue was numb before he finished the injection. Since then my tongue has been numb and I feel like my tongue and roof of my mouth were burned.

[scottma]

Seeing a neurologist or orofacial pain specialist is advised. Current evidence suggests that early intervention of pharmacologic management is helpful to resume normal function of injured nerve.

[db3188]

I would like to state that I am NOT a dentist, but have been a dental assistant for 13 years.  While nerve damage is a possibility, most often these types of symptoms come from the Dr accidentally hitting the muscle.  The injection to which you are referring is called a "block".  I, personally, have had a block injection where the Dr injected into my muscle and I had jaw pain instantly (intense pain) and then numbness on that whole quadrant for almost two weeks.  Your tongue and the roof of your mouth may feel that way because of the lack of "feeling" in your tongue, so the texture feels different.  If it continues much longer, I would schedule a follow-up visit with your Dr for this reason.  Usually, it's a no-charge visit as it had to do with previous work they did.  Hope that helps!