Numbness After Implants

Dr. Joglekar, a dental implant patient, asks us:

I had dental implants last year for missing teeth. Within hours of the placement of mandibular dental implants, I developed profound numbness on the right half of lower lip.

Being a doctor (general surgeon),I realised there was nerve injury & requested the implantologist
to unscrew/remove the dental implants (x-ray showed one of the dental implants touching the roof of the inferior alveolar canal). However, the doctor said, “Everything will be OK.” Nevertheless, eventually after 3 weeks he replaced the dental implants.

Fast forward one year, and my numbness has not gone away completely. Do you think the dental implants should have been removed right away? Is this why I am still feeling the numbness? What is the cause of the numbness now? Nerve Damage? Would Dental CT, which was never advised, be necessary now and would it change the management of this case? Kindly advise. Thanks.

See also:

• Persistent Numbness after Implant Failure
• Implant Patient Complains of Numbness
• Numbness: Complication of Graft?