“My Lip and Chin Are Still Numb”: Nerve Injury After Jaw Surgery
Summary
Numbness of the lower lip and chin is the most common problem after lower jaw surgery, because the nerve that gives those areas feeling runs through the bone that is cut. For most people it improves over months. For some it doesn't. This guide explains what is expected, what recovery usually looks like, when to ask for proper testing, and when ongoing numbness may raise legal questions.
Quick answer · updated November 2026
Most people have some numbness straight after a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). A systematic review found it in 63% to 83% of patients in the first week, falling to about 13% to 18% at one year, depending on how it was measured. Persistent numbness is a known risk, not by itself negligence. The questions are whether you were warned, whether the surgery was carried out carefully, and whether the nerve was assessed and referred on when it didn't recover. See the numbers.
Nerve recovery, stage by stage
- 1First weeksNumbness is very common and expected.
- 21 to 6 monthsTingling and patchy return are usual signs of recovery.
- 3If it stallsAsk for testing and a record of what's changed.
- 4ReferralA nerve injury specialist, while options remain open.
- 512 months+What's left is more likely to stay. Time to get answers.
At any stage: burning pain, drooling, biting your lip without feeling it, or numbness of the tongue are worth raising straight away.
The surgeon said the numbness would go in six weeks. At six weeks I could feel a buzz along my chin, like pins and needles, and I was so relieved.
At six months the buzz was still there, and the left side of my bottom lip still felt like it belonged to someone else. I bit it at dinner and didn't know until I saw the blood on the fork.
At my review, the registrar touched my chin with a cotton bud and asked if I could feel it. I said “sort of”. He wrote “improving” and that was it.
Nobody measured anything. Nobody mentioned that there were people who specialise in nerve injuries.
A composite story, drawn from the experiences of many people I have worked with, combined and changed so that no one can be identified. It does not describe any individual client.
If your lip or chin still feels wrong months after jaw surgery, you're not imagining it, and you're not being fussy. Losing feeling in your lip affects eating, kissing, speaking and how you feel about your face. It deserves a proper answer, not just “give it time”.
This guide is part of a series on jaw surgery complications. It covers why numbness happens, how common it is, what recovery usually looks like, the testing you can ask for, and how the law approaches it.
Why I can write this
I have been a medical negligence lawyer since 2014 and have worked on many hundreds of claims, including a large group of jaw surgery claims. My doctorate looked at patterns of failure in medical negligence. I am not medically qualified. The clinical facts here are drawn from published research, listed in the references, and I explain how I work in our editorial standards.
Start with your question
- Why does jaw surgery cause numbness?
- How common is permanent numbness?
- How long does it take to come back?
- What testing should I ask for?
- When should I see a nerve specialist?
- Is ongoing numbness negligence?
Why the lip and chin go numb
Definition
The inferior alveolar nerve runs through a canal inside the lower jaw and gives feeling to the lower lip, chin, lower teeth and gums. In a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO), the surgeon splits the back of the lower jaw on each side, close to that canal, so the nerve is often stretched, compressed or handled.
In plain terms: the nerve sits right where the jaw is cut, so it often gets bruised.
Numbness is described in the medical literature as a common complication straight after BSSO, with nerve function usually recovering over the longer term.1 How much the nerve is affected depends on things like how close it sits to the outer bone, how the split is done, how precisely the nerve is located, and individual variation.2 The tongue is supplied by a different nerve, the lingual nerve, which is affected much less often.
How common is lasting numbness?
Lip and chin numbness after BSSO (systematic review)
In plain terms: most people lose some feeling at first. Roughly one in six or seven still notices a change a year later.
Source: Colella et al, J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2007.3 Lower figures use objective tests; higher figures are what patients report.
Reported rates vary enormously between studies. A later review put much of that down to inconsistent ways of testing and reporting nerve injury.4 That matters for you in two ways. Any figure you were quoted before surgery is an estimate. And how your own nerve is tested afterwards, and whether anyone writes the results down, makes a real difference later.
The first weeks
Straight after surgery, numbness of the lower lip and chin is expected, alongside swelling. Many people describe it as like the dentist's injection that never wore off. You may drool a little without noticing, and you need to be careful with hot drinks and with biting your lip.
One to six months: signs of recovery
Recovery is often gradual and uneven. Tingling, buzzing, “electric” feelings or patches of feeling returning at the edges are often signs that the nerve is waking up. Some people find sensation returns but feels different, or unpleasant, which is called dysaesthesia.
Questions to ask at your reviews
- Can you test and record exactly where I have feeling, and compare it next time?
- Is my recovery on the expected track for my operation?
- At what point would you refer me to someone who specialises in nerve injuries?
- Was anything noted about the nerve during the operation?
When recovery stalls: testing
If feeling isn't returning, or stops improving, it's reasonable to ask for proper sensory testing rather than a quick touch with a cotton bud. Testing usually maps the numb area and checks light touch, sharp and blunt sensation, temperature and two-point discrimination. The point is to create a record, so that change, or the lack of it, can be measured over time.
Referral to a nerve injury specialist
A small number of surgeons in Australia have a special interest in trigeminal nerve injuries. If numbness is severe, painful or not improving in the first few months, ask whether a referral is appropriate. Some nerve repair options are time-sensitive, so a referral late in the piece can limit what can be done. Our article on permanent nerve damage after dental surgery covers nerve injuries more broadly.
Expected, worth a review, or same-day help
Usually expected
Numb lip and chin in the first weeks; tingling or buzzing as feeling returns; patchy improvement.
Keep a simple diary of changes.
Ask for a review
No improvement by three months; burning or shooting pain; numbness that is getting worse; numb tongue or changed taste.
Ask for testing and a referral.
Same-day help
Fever, spreading swelling, pus or a bad taste, or trouble swallowing or breathing.
Call your surgeon or go to ED.
I asked for my records a year later. The operation note said “IAN visualised, intact” on the right. On the left it said “IAN manipulated from proximal segment”.
That was the side that never came back. Nobody had told me the nerve had been moved. Nobody had told me there was anyone I could see about it.
By the time I got to a nerve specialist, she was kind, but she said that earlier would have given us more choices.
I'm not angry that it happened. I'm angry that I found out what happened by reading it myself.
A composite story, drawn from the experiences of many people I have worked with, combined and changed so that no one can be identified. It does not describe any individual client.
What to look for in the records
Your records often tell the story that nobody told you. Our guide to getting your medical records explains how to ask.5
| Record | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Consent form and consultation letters | Whether nerve injury, and the chance it could be permanent, was explained. |
| Pre-operative imaging (CT or CBCT) | Where the nerve sat in your jaw, and whether that was considered. |
| Operation note | How the split went, and anything said about the nerve on each side. |
| Review notes | Whether sensation was tested and recorded, and how it changed. |
| Referral letters | Whether, and when, you were referred to a nerve specialist. |
| Your own diary and photos | Notes made at the time are evidence too. Keep them. |
How the law looks at it
Numbness after BSSO is a recognised risk. The fact that it happened, even permanently, doesn't on its own mean anyone was negligent. In a nerve injury case after jaw surgery, the questions are usually more specific.
Were you warned? Numbness of the lip and chin, and the chance it could be permanent, is the kind of risk most people would want to know about before agreeing to elective surgery. Under Rogers v Whitaker,6 a material risk must be disclosed, and in NSW the peer professional opinion defence doesn't apply to warnings (section 5P of the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW)).7 If you weren't warned, the law asks whether you would have declined or delayed the surgery if you had been. Because jaw surgery is often elective, that question can be a real one.
Was the surgery done with reasonable care? Experts may look at the planning imaging, how the split was performed, and what the operation note says about the nerve. A note that the nerve was cut, trapped or caught in a screw raises different questions from one that says it was intact.
Was it followed up? If numbness wasn't tested, recorded or referred on, and an earlier referral would probably have improved the outcome, that gap may matter in itself. Causation has to be shown on the balance of probabilities; a lost chance alone isn't enough (Tabet v Gett).8
Who can claim, and when
The person who had the surgery can claim. In NSW, time usually runs from when you knew, or ought to have known, enough to claim, not from the operation itself, and with nerve injury that is often when it becomes clear the numbness won't resolve. See time limits in NSW or other states, and our guide to how a claim works.
In my practice
In jaw surgery files, the consent conversation about nerve injury is often a single line: “risk of altered sensation discussed”. What usually isn't recorded is any figure, any mention that it can be permanent, or what would happen if it was. Afterwards, the pattern is review notes that say “improving” for a year, without a single measurement. When a client finally sees a nerve specialist, the first question is often “why didn't you come sooner?”
Both things can be true
Your surgeon may have done a technically careful operation, and you may still not have been properly warned or followed up. Your bite may be better than it ever was, and you may still grieve the feeling in your lip. Both are allowed.
The bigger picture
Corrective jaw surgery is performed in Australia by oral and maxillofacial surgeons.9 You can check a practitioner's registration on the Ahpra public register, and complaints about care in NSW can go to the Health Care Complaints Commission. Our page on complaint or claim explains the difference.
Support
- Lifeline, 24-hour crisis support: 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue, anxiety and depression support: 1300 22 4636
- healthdirect, 24-hour nurse advice: 1800 022 222
Living with a changed face can affect how you feel about yourself. Our article on regret after jaw surgery may help.
The woman in the stories still keeps a diary of where she can feel and where she can't. It started as a way to prove something. Now it's mostly a way to notice the small returns.
With care,
Rosemary
Frequently asked questions
How long does numbness last after jaw surgery?
For most people it improves over months, and many recover most feeling within a year. Some numbness can be permanent.
Is numbness after BSSO permanent?
Sometimes. One systematic review found about 13% to 18% of patients still had changed sensation at one year.
Is tingling a good sign after jaw surgery?
Often, yes. Tingling or buzzing can mean the nerve is recovering. Burning or shooting pain should be reviewed.
When should I see a nerve specialist?
If numbness is severe, painful or not improving in the first few months, ask about a referral. Some options are time-sensitive.
Can I sue for numbness after jaw surgery?
Possibly, if you weren't warned, the surgery fell below accepted practice, or follow-up was inadequate, and that caused harm.
Still numb after jaw surgery?
When you're ready, and not before, I can look at your records with you and tell you honestly whether there are questions worth asking.
Jaw surgery: recovery, complications and your rights
- “Is it too late?” Time limits and what a jaw surgery claim can cover
- “I can still only fit two fingers in”: Restricted mouth opening (trismus) after jaw surgery
- “Should my BSSO have been double jaw?” How surgeons plan BSSO vs bimax
- “Biggest mistake of my life”: Regret after jaw surgery
- “My lip and chin are still numb”: Nerve injury after jaw surgery (you are here)
- “What will it cost?” Medicare, private health and jaw surgery in Australia
- “Nobody told me it would take this long”: Double jaw surgery recovery timeline
- “My bite has shifted”: Relapse after jaw surgery
- “The plate is poking through”: Infection and plates after jaw surgery
- “I didn't know that was a risk”: Consent before jaw surgery
- “My jaw clicks and locks now”: TMJ pain after jaw surgery
- “Do I need it redone?” Second opinions and revision jaw surgery
Part of our guide to oral, maxillofacial and dental negligence. Not sure where you stand? Try the free claim checker.
References
- Roychoudhury S, Nagori SA, Roychoudhury A. Neurosensory disturbance after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: a retrospective study. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2015;5(2):65–68.
- Neurosensory disturbance of the inferior alveolar nerve after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: a review. Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025.
- Colella G, Cannavale R, Vicidomini A, Lanza A. Neurosensory disturbance of the inferior alveolar nerve after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: a systematic review. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2007;65(9):1707–1715.
- Agbaje JO, Salem AS, Lambrichts I, Jacobs R, Politis C. Systematic review of the incidence of inferior alveolar nerve injury in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy and the assessment of neurosensory disturbances. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2015;44(4):447–451.
- Information and Privacy Commission NSW. Fact sheet: Accessing your health information in NSW.
- Rogers v Whitaker [1992] HCA 58; (1992) 175 CLR 479.
- Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 5P.
- Tabet v Gett [2010] HCA 12.
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Corrective jaw (orthognathic) surgery.
Stories in this article are composites, drawn from the experiences of many people I have worked with, combined and changed so that no one can be identified. They do not describe any individual client.
Dr Rosemary Listing, PhD (Law), Medical negligence lawyer since 2014 · Of Counsel, Peter Evans & Associates. Rosemary's doctorate examined patterns of failure in medical negligence, and she teaches health law at the University of Newcastle. She is not medically qualified. About Rosemary.
Last updated: November 2026 · First published: November 2026 · Next review: May 2027
Cite this article: Listing R. "My Lip and Chin Are Still Numb": Nerve Injury After Jaw Surgery. Reframe Legal. Published November 2026. https://reframelegal.com/numbness-after-jaw-surgery/
This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. It does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Speak to your treating clinicians about your health, and get legal advice about your own situation.
If you are in danger or need urgent medical help, call 000. For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Legal services are provided by Peter Evans & Associates.
