Are numbness and toothache present after a pulpectomy?

Question

Hi doctor,

I had a pulpectomy on a lower left tooth two days ago. I am still in pain and the outside of my chin and lower lip is still numb. The dentist told me I would not be in any pain after the procedure, but it is still hurting. I had Ibuprofen 200 mg four times a day. Is this normal to have numbness in the tooth?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

As I see this, there are two issues here. Firstly, the pain in your lower left tooth could be due to a couple of reasons. Whenever there is an infection of the pulp, the infection spreads beyond the tip of the tooth; it extrudes the tooth out of its socket within the jaw. When this happens the tooth is painful especially when it touches the opposing upper tooth.

The other reason for tooth pain could be that the entire infected pulp was not removed. Either way, you need to go back to your dentist. The second issue here is the numbness of your chin and lower lip. This usually happens when the nerve in the lower jaw gets nicked by the needle while giving the local anesthetic. If the damage is minor, the nerve repairs itself, and the normal sensation will return. If numbness persists after two to three months, then you need to consult your doctor.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.