tongue symptoms

[Lazz]

I have had an odd numb feeling in the right edge of my tongue for 3 years now.  It is constant, it never goes away. I first noticed it when I was 29.  I had a MRI, many blood tests, and nerve tests, and they cant find anything wrong.  I am 32 now, and last week I just began to notice the exact same symtom on the left edge of the tongue!  For several years I have noticed that a wisdom tooth is on the move in the upper left side. It is actually popped through the skin at this point.  Do these nerves for the edges of the tongue run through the same area of wisdom teeth?  I havent been to a dentist in about 6 years...


Regards,
Lazz

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
Well, it could ne related to your wisdom tooth. However, it should cause referred pain or tingling—not numbness.

In my opinion it is related to neck-tongue syndrome. There is upper nuchal (neck) or occipital pain on one side, with or without numbness in these areas. This is accompanied by simultaneous ipsilateral (same side) numbness of the tongue. This numbness is caused by compression of the second cervical root (C2) in the atlantoaxial space.

Hope this helps. Do discuss this with your doctor (both dentist and orthopedic specialist) and get yourself examined. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[mini_d]

Hi Lazz,

Please do not worry. Though the nerves thatsupply the edges of the tongue run through the area where the tooth is present, that may not be the cause of the numbness, because it started on the right side. If all the tests have come negative, then the problem may not be major, because these tests detect almost all the important problems related to nerves.

However, I suggest that you visit a dentist at the earliest for your wisdom tooth and also the loss of sensation in the left side of your tongue.

Regards