Numb Tooth After Chin Implant?

Question

I had a large chin implant placed 7 weeks ago. It was placed rather high. I haven't been able to feel my left lower central incisor since the surgery. I mentioned this to my surgeon a couple weeks ago. He tested the sensation in my chin and jaw, and said he could feel the entire mentalis nerve and that I would make a complete recovery. Is this common, and how long will it take to regain sensation? It feels like a novacane injection that never wears off.

Shahriar Mabourakh, MD, FACS · Answer

Chin implants can have a dramatic effect on facial appearance. They can be places either thru a submental incision or thru an incision inside the lower lip. One possible complication is numbness of lower lip and teeth. This is due injury to the mental nerve. Toy mentioned the implant is very high. If the appearance is not right it should be replaced lower on the chin. If you like the look leave it alone. If sensation to you lip is normal and only your teeth are numb, chances are sensation will return in time, but it may take months.

Scott Trimas, MD · Answer

The good news is that numbness after a chin implant is typically temporary although I have seen it take several months or longer to completely resolve. Good luck

Eric M. Joseph, MD · Answer

You mentioned that your chin implant was placed "rather high", and I'm not sure if you're referring to dissatisfaction with your appearance. If you're pleased by the appearance of your chin, observation of your numb lower tooth may be prudent. If your external chin and lip have normal sensation, the numbness of your tooth may improve with time. In my view, there would be no guaranty that sensation would return if your implant were to be removed or repositioned. If this is causing a great deal of mental anguish, it may be helpful to get a second opinion from another reputable facial plastic surgeon.

	Hope this helps.

	Dr. Joseph

Charles S. Lee, MD, FACS · Answer

The good news is your mental nerve is most likely intact, as it is highly unusual to sever it during placement of a chin implant. Your surgeon also confirmed that the nerve was intact during surgery. Unfortunately, the fact that you required a large chin implant means that your mental nerve probably sits close to the lower edge of the bone and the implant may be brushing up against the nerve. In that case the numbness probably will not improve without repositioning of the implant. Let's hope that is not the case and your sensation returns over a period of time. If your chin is very deficient and you cannot tolerate a chin implant, you may consider a sliding genioplasty, in which the bone itself is moved forward.

Laxmeesh Mike Nayak, MD · Answer

Sensation to your teeth is not provided by the mental nerve; it is provided by the inferior alveolar nerve. This nerve runs inside the bone, and is generally not at risk with chin implant placement, unlike the mental nerve what exits the bone and could be injured.

	A numb tooth suggests injury to the inferior alveolar nerve or one of its branches. While temporary irritation of the nerve may occur from scraping the external surface of the bone during implant placement, true direct injury could occur most commonly in a situation where a screw was placed into the bone to secure the implant. With high placement of the implant, it is possible that the screw has penetrated a tooth root or branch of the nerve. Find out if a screw was utilized. If so, an x-ray can settle the question of tooth root injury. If not, probably the best course is to wait for recovery with no further surgery.

	Mike Nayak

Numb Tooth After Chin Implant?

Answers (5)