Why does numbness in the upper or lower jaw persist after implant installation?
Often, after placing an implant, temporary complications arise in the form of loss of sensitivity, aching pain, bleeding and redness of the gums, swelling - all this is a normal reaction to surgery. Usually paresthesia goes away without a trace after 3-5 hours, all other symptoms - after 4-6 days.
There is no need to delay a visit to the doctor if numbness lasts more than five hours . It can occur either due to the effect of anesthesia or due to:
- poor preparation for surgery, incorrect selection of implants, the site of their integration;
- injuries of the mandibular trigeminal nerve.
Dangerous complications and natural consequences of surgery
Below is a table with natural symptoms and dangerous complications that occur immediately after surgery (manifest within 7 days). The most important thing is that most of these can be solved quite quickly and easily. The main thing is to see a doctor in time.
| Symptom | Normal condition | Complication |
| Jaw pain | Appears after the anesthesia wears off. Weakens and disappears within 2-7 days. | The pain does not stop and intensifies. Painkillers do not help or help little. There is a high risk of soft tissue inflammation or nerve damage. |
| Swelling | After implantation, swelling may appear within a week and not subside. | The swelling does not go away. It hurts when touched. Increases in size. |
| Bleeding gums | Minor blood loss for 2-7 days from the incision site (where the gum was sutured or a bone graft was performed). | Significant bleeding after surgery that does not stop. Most often indicates damage to blood vessels. |
| Temperature increase | It can rise to 37.5-38.0⁰С (within 2-7 days). This is a normal reaction of the body to the introduction of a foreign body. | The temperature does not subside and increases after 7 days. Swelling forms. All signs of inflammation. |
| Numbness | The result of anesthesia, which wears off within 24 hours. | The numbness does not go away. Perhaps a nerve was damaged during the operation. |
Now let's talk about later complications that appear several years after the procedure for installing an artificial root.
Peri-implantitis
. An inflammatory process affecting the tissue around the implant. If measures are not taken in time, it can lead to resorption of gingival bone tissue.
| How to treat peri-implantitis? At the initial stage, it is medicated with the use of laser/ultrasonic cleaning of the implant (for this it is removed). |
Implant failure
. The rarest complication that develops over a long period of time and not instantly. Accompanied by the following symptoms: inflammation, bleeding, pus, implant mobility, pocket enlargement and bone thinning.
| It is important to know! Complications arise both with implantation using the classical method and when using a protocol with delayed loading. However, in practice, it is the classical method that is more dangerous due to the method of installing the implant, a large number of additional procedures and an impressive list of contraindications. The Dr. Fedorov Implantation Center uses advanced implantation techniques |
Anesthesia during surgery
Numbness prevents you from feeling pain during surgery. Achieved by administering anesthetic drugs. If sensitivity returns and the procedure has not yet come to an end, the drug is added to prolong the effect of local anesthesia.
In rare cases, a substance used for pain relief or improperly administered anesthesia can cause longer-term numbness - up to six months.
Possible complications immediately after implantation
After surgery to install a dental implant, various unpleasant phenomena may occur. Let's arrange them in descending order - from the most frequently occurring to the least common.
Pain after dental implantation
A slight pain after installation of implants is acceptable and, as a rule, begins immediately after the end of local or general anesthesia (dental implantation under general anesthesia). The norm is pain for 2–3 days after surgery, during which you must take medications prescribed by your doctor. If the pain lasts longer, it may indicate inflammation of the surrounding soft tissue or nerve damage.
Swelling after dental implantation
Swelling after dental implantation is a natural reaction of the body to an “invasion” of tissue. As a rule, it manifests itself within 2–3 hours after surgery and, with normal healing, persists for 5–7 days, peaking on the third day. However, with timely application of cold, the duration of this period can be shortened. If the swelling does not go away for the second week and is accompanied by blue discoloration, then this indicates the development of an inflammatory process. After installation of one implant, as a rule, there is no swelling.
Bleeding
Light bleeding from the surgical site for several days is normal. If the patient takes aspirin or other drugs that impair blood clotting, bleeding of the wound can continue for up to 10 days. If a similar problem persists for a longer period of time, up to the formation of hematomas, or if the intensity of bleeding is high already on the first day after surgery, then all this indicates injury to the blood vessels.
Increased temperature after dental implantation
The increase in temperature is explained by the body's reaction to the installed dental implant. If the body temperature is up to 37 ⁰C, and does not subside within 2–3 days after surgery, there is nothing to worry about. If the thermometer shows over 37 ⁰C for the fourth day, and pus forms at the implant site, then all the signs of an inflammatory process are evident.
Numbness and loss of sensation
The time period during which such symptoms occur is also important here. If local anesthesia is used, numbness may last up to 3 to 5 hours after implantation, and this is normal. If after the specified period sensitivity is not restored, this indicates nerve damage. This is only possible in the lower jaw, since this is where the facial nerve passes.
Sutures after dental implantation
During implantation, strong synthetic threads are used, which hold soft tissue well and eliminate the risk of suture divergence. After surgery, you should make it a rule to inspect the surgical area every day, carefully assessing the presence and integrity of sutures. If their divergence is noticed, this means that mechanical damage has occurred or an inflammatory process has begun.
Attention!
In all cases where there is a deviation from the norm, you must immediately consult a doctor.
Numbness from damage to the mandibular nerve
Symptoms
The following signs may indicate that the trigeminal nerve of the lower jaw is damaged during tooth implantation:
- prolonged numbness, which is accompanied by slight tingling;
- violation of facial expressions;
- difficulty swallowing;
- Difficulties in hygiene;
- painful sensations;
- increased salivation.
Sometimes nasal congestion may occur. The listed symptoms should be a reason to urgently consult a doctor.
Why is this happening?
The trigeminal nerve may be damaged during dental implantation under the following circumstances:
- injured by a needle during the administration of anesthesia;
- pressed by an implant that is too long during screwing in;
- damaged by a drill while preparing a bed for an artificial root.
If the damage is minor, the tissue will go numb until the nerve fibers are restored. Sometimes this period lasts quite a long time - from 2 to 6 months.
Only a doctor can determine whether it is necessary to wait for spontaneous healing or whether surgical intervention is necessary to restore the integrity of the nerve fibers.
Expert opinion.
Victor Aleksandrovich, implant surgeon: “In dental implantology, cases of long-term numbness are rare. In my practice, such a situation arose only once. The patient had a numb lip on the left side for three weeks after implantation. We took an x-ray, which showed that the nerve fibers were not affected, but the implant was located very close, 1 mm from them. Neuromultivitis was chosen for treatment. Already on the 10th day, sensitivity began to return. The final recovery took three weeks.”
Stages of damage
There is a classification of jaw nerve injury:
- Neuropraxia is the mildest degree, manifested by partial loss of sensitivity, which lasts for several days.
- Axonotmesis is a deeper injury accompanied by pain. Paresthesia lasts for a month.
- Neurotmesis is a significant injury. A scar forms on the injured area as it heals. There are no sensations for 2 months.
Causes of teeth numbness after implantation
Paresthesia is one of the most common complications of dental implantation. It is characterized by numbness and loss of sensitivity, tingling and burning sensations in the gum area. The cause of the problem is nerve damage:
- during anesthesia,
- preparing a bed for an artificial root,
- screwing in a long implant.
With minor damage, the nerve fibers repair themselves. Rehabilitation can take from 1 to 6 months.
What to do, how to treat
Treatment of paresthesia due to unsuccessful implantation can be prescribed by the implantologist who performed the operation, dentist, neurologist, or physiotherapist.
Before moving on to restorative therapy, a diagnosis must be carried out, during which the nature and extent of the damage is established. The treatment is carried out comprehensively, aimed at restoring the conductivity and sensitivity of nerve fibers .
If the patient consults a doctor immediately, drug therapy in combination with physiotherapeutic procedures is very effective. In other cases, surgery is required.
Trigeminal nerve injury
Prolonged numbness of tissues after implantation can also be caused by incorrect selection of the length of implants or their installation without taking into account the anatomical characteristics of the patient. In this case, damage to one of the processes of the trigeminal nerve is possible. Most often, when screwing in dental implants, the inferior alveolar nerve is affected. If it is damaged in the area of the lower lip, cheek and gums (up to the second molars), the following may occur:
- complete numbness of tissues;
- not disappearance, but a violation of sensitivity, without other unpleasant phenomena;
- a change in sensitivity, which is accompanied by an abnormal reaction to certain stimuli and other pathological symptoms.
If the lingual nerve is damaged during implantation, the following may also appear along with numbness:
- uncontrolled tongue biting;
- increased salivation;
- loss of taste;
- swallowing dysfunction;
- difficulties with pronouncing sounds.
If such symptoms appear and prolonged loss of sensitivity after implantation, you should contact the dentist who performed the operation.
