Nerve injury to the face, mouth and jaw

Numbness, burning, tingling or pain in your face, lips, tongue or jaw after dental or facial treatment can change everyday life. These articles explain the nerves involved, what should have been checked, and when it may be negligence.

An overview

The nerves of the face, lips, tongue and jaw run close to where dentists and surgeons work. Some nerve injury is a known risk, but it can also follow avoidable errors, or a delay in recognising and referring the injury.

At the milder endNumbness in the lower lip after a wisdom tooth removal that slowly recovers over several months.

At the more serious endA permanent lingual nerve injury causing burning pain, loss of taste, and difficulty eating and speaking.

Every situation is different. What matters is what happened, how it has affected you, and whether the care fell below what was reasonable. Even where an injury is less severe, you may still be able to recover costs such as treatment and lost income.

After wisdom teeth removal and dental work

Injuries caused during dental or oral surgery.

Trigeminal and facial nerve injury

Injury to the main nerves of the face, including after cosmetic surgery.

Infraorbital nerve injury (cheek and upper lip)

Numbness or pain below the eye, across the cheek and upper lip.

Tingling, burning and altered sensation

When nerve symptoms were dismissed or not investigated.