Nerve Regeneration Timeline

[glennstanzalone]

Hey everyone! Getting my braces off in two days. It's been over 6 months since my surgery and 6 months since my revision surgery and I'm really freaking out about my nerves. I can feel hot & cold but it's very very strange. Like I can barely sense pressure during kissing and often if I'm drinking cold liquid, I feel the cold on my chin as soon as it hits my lower gums. The gums on my upper jaw are mostly back to normal but it's still extra sensitive on my lower gums to even floss. Am I totally screwed here? I'm 28 years old and I really really need to be able to feel a full kiss for the rest of my life. My surgeon says that my sensation is good, because I can feel q-tip and also sharp points all over my chin & lip. Its just really dull and odd. It's like a radio station that not quite tuned in. He said that means my nerves were not seriously injured bc I don't have any patches of non-sensation. I'm just worried this is as much as I'm going to get back!

[braces101]

I think you just need to give it more time. I'm almost 3 months and definitely feel some of the same things. Notably, cold feeling in chin when drinking cold liquid, lots of numbness still in lip, random pins and needles, hypersensitivity in gums, pinching feeling in my chin when using my front lower teeth, etc. I think those random sensations are all good indications that it is coming back, at least that's what I'll be telling myself for the next couple months. It's possible your feeling is just coming back a little slower but my surgeon told me it can take up to a year or more for some people so it's probably early to be worried about real nerve damage especially with what you're describing.

[jaime]

No one can really tell you whether or not you're screwed. What I can tell you is that 6 months isn't a long time. It was more than a year after surgery that I stopped noticing any improvement, and sometimes I think it is still slooooowly getting better.

Since you didn't completely lose sensation, my guess is that you will still see more improvement.

Also, congrats on getting your braces off today!!!!

[Raerae2639]

I am going through the same thing and I am wondering why NONE of the doctors mentioned to me that this would be something I would go through. They mentioned pain and swelling but not numbness.