Sensation is expected to return 2-6 months after surgery. A numb feeling in the upper gums and roof of your mouth may persist after surgery. Numbness of the lower lip and chin is also expected after lower jaw surgery. Recovery of sensation may take 12 months.
Any numbness or altered sensation of the lip, chin, teeth, and gums may require 4 to 6 months for improvement to be noted. It is common to experience changing sensation throughout the recovery course.
In the majority of cases, the nerve recovers over a period of months and sensation returns to normal. However in approximately 25% of patients, some alteration of sensation persists over time. Whilst this does not affect the way a patient looks or the way the lip moves, it can take some time to become accustomed to.
For more complicated surgery, the initial healing phase can last about six to eight weeks. Complete healing of the jaws can take between 9 and 12 months.
10) To help stimulate your awareness of facial movement when the nerve is still healing, a gentle massage may be helpful. Exercises will not make the nerve heal more quickly, but emphasizing your movements will help prevent "muscle wasting," which can contribute to facial weakness related to the nerves.
Some permanent numbness is seen in up to 10 in 100 cases (10%). Pain after surgery is typically temporary. Most patients use pain medications for the first 2 weeks. Rarely, pain may persist.
This is similar to the sensation you might feel after having an injection at the dentist. About one in 10 people will have some tingling or numbness that can last several weeks. Up to 15% of patients may have permanent loss of some sensation in this area but this is rarely a problem.
This is due to interference with the nerves supplying sensation to these areas and is usually temporary. Feeling can be expected to return to these areas within a few weeks following surgery however may even take several months to return. Unfortunately, in a very small percentage of cases, this may be permanent.
If an upper jaw surgery is performed, you will need to be on sinus precautions. This entails not blowing your nose for 2 weeks. Try not to sneeze for 2 weeks. If you do sneeze, do it with your mouth open to equalize the pressure between your mouth and the sinus.
To help you plan ahead, here's a quick snapshot of a typical road to recovery: Swelling: You can expect swelling to be the worst in the first week after oral surgery. It's usually most noticeable from three to five days after surgery, then it gradually lessens.
Common symptoms of permanent facial paralysis include: Inability to move one or both sides of the face. Reduced tearing. Facial drooping and/or weakness.
In some cases, the nerve is cut possibly due to trauma or during an operation around the site of the facial nerve. A nerve which has been cut cannot recover by itself and surgical repair is required to restore facial function.
As odd as it sounds, you don't feel it – I promise! If anything, your faces feels a little bit heavier than usual, but you get used to that within a couple of hours. You honestly don't even feel the metal because they're too far up.
Get Active
Taking a brisk walk, going for a bike ride, or even tacking a few chores around the house will help to reduce numbness in a natural way. Being active stimulates blood flow in the body, which helps to carry the anesthesia away from the injection site.
Massage gently
Massaging the area can help stimulate blood flow into that area which helps the numbing feeling fade away.
Since the numbness is sensory, not motor, you can eat, talk, kiss and open and close your mouth normally, but patients report a feeling of numbness in the chin area of the face and/or lower lip area. Some patients report a feeling of tingling.
Don't try to fight them and open or move your jaw. If you need to cough, sneeze, or yawn, use your hand to support below your chin to avoid the tendency to try to open your mouth!
If you sleep on the same side as your surgical wounds, you can also be faced with problems. The pressure on your surgical wounds can add to your discomfort. All of these issues can affect how well you can heal as well as lengthen your recovery time and increase your risk of complications.
Elastic facial dressing (jaw bra) : This elastic bandage should be kept in place as much as possible for the first 24 hours. After the first day this bandage is not essential but may help reduce swelling more quickly. Wearing this dressing at night will also help reduce swelling that may occur when lying down.
Normally, gums should be evenly-shaped and complement the upper lip. Excessive gum tissues can affect the balance of your smile, making you feel unattractive and self-conscious about smiling. Jaw surgery can correct a gummy smile, giving you a balanced, natural, and beautiful smile.
If therapies such as jaw stretches, relaxation techniques and applying ice packs or moist heat to the jaw do not help, we can move on to options such as physical therapy which would include ultrasound therapy, electrostimulation, microcurrent therapy, and Manuel therapy.
While most nerve damage is always accidental, negligence by a dentist during a dental procedure can also result in dental nerve damage. With treatment, dental nerve damage can heal in six to eight weeks. If, however, the effects last more than six months, then it is considered permanent nerve damage.