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Is numbness in teeth common after a root canal treatment?

Dr Vijay Mathur
Senior Research Officer,
Department of Dental Surgery,
AIIMS,
New Delhi

Q: I underwent a root canal treatment and was given a shot of local sedative (LA). The next morning I started feeling stiffness and numbness in my lower lip, chin and 3 teeth. I feel a lot of discomfort and a pulling pain due to this. I also have a white coating on my tongue, which gives a burning and pricking sensation at the back of the tongue. Is this normal during root canal?

A:I am sorry to inform that the symptoms are due to nerve injury during injection but it is a common complication to injection. This will take some time to heal, ranging from 2-3 weeks. You just take some B-complex and give rest to your body.