alllright this has been enough!?

Question

2 days before thanksgiving i got my wisdom teeth taken out. that is like a month and a half back. and. well. the left side of my tounge is still numb. i have no taste on that side. i know b/c i put a dime sized amount of red pepper on that side of my tounge and didnt even feel it. but when i bite that side of my tounge (which happes often now b/c i cant feel it) it hurts like waaay back in the back of my mouth and a little bit donw in my throat. ive been thinking that maybe they severed a nerve but maybe not the whole thing cause i can feel it back there after i bite it and it hurts realllly bad. ummm i know that your taste buds change every 5 years and i was wondering if its going to be 5 years untill i get all of my taste back.

Could i sue the oral surgan for mal-practice?

Answer 1

You should notify the oral surgeon and arrange for a review appointment. There are standardised tests that he can perform to judge the extent of the damage and measure any changes. You can't measure these things yourself and you are not helping him or you if you don't arrange for a re-examination.
Sometimes it is a matter of time to allow healing, and sometimes there is a need for microsurgery to the nerve. The sooner it is assessed then the better your chances of recovery. It is nothing to do with taste buds.
As for malpractice - there are risks associated with ANY surgery, and you won't successfully sue someone unless you can show that they were negligent. You could've been unlucky despite all proper care. But don't make it worse by ignoring it.

Answer 2

Matt has given you a good answer. You should already be following this with your dentist or surgeon.

In addition, I would say that you PROBABLY signed an "informed consent" that stated the risks of having a numb tongue or lip following the surgery. If this matter was NOT discussed with you and if the feeling never returns, perhaps you have a legal issue over the lack of proper informed consent.

Things will probably return to normal within a few more weeks, though. They usually do.

Answer 3

My mother has permanent nerve damage in her tounge due to a root canal. She had no feeling for months and now she only has an occasional tingle in that side of her tounge. Report it right away. You may want to sue just to pay for the treatment options you may have. It can be expensive.. They may put you on a nerve drug such as Neurontin sp? to possibly help you but you may or may not ever get that back unfortunatley..I feel for you and good luck.. all respect JB

Answer 4

there are a lot of nerves that innerve your tongue, a nerve for the taste for the fornt 2/3 of your mouth, another for mobility and another for sensitivity ( pressure, biting)

for the 1/3 posterior of your mouth its another nerve that innerves it

So maybe theres a nerve severed, but one of the 4 mentionned, so u misght move it, feel it, but you dont taste, or maybe 2 nerves have been hit in your case...
Unfortunately, this kind of situation is a "possible complication of the intervention", and since medical practitians are to "try all they can" they are not forced to succeed every surgery. BUT the dentist must tell you all the risks before the intervention and must get your "free and clear approval", so if he didnt tell you about this complication, then you can sue him. furthermore, if he made you sign a paper about him not being responsible for anthing, dont even mind this paper cuz its worth crap.
Good luck

Answer 5

Yea, I believe that you can sue the heck out of them. I would. Your tounge SHOULD NOT feel like that. Yep. Sue them. It's totally there fault. Sue, Sue, Sue, and then, go to a WAY BETTER dentist.

Answer 6

I would call the dentist and tell them what is going on. They can take a look in your mouth and try to figure out what is going on.

Answer 7

you should wait about a week. then see what happens!