Nerve Damage After Wisdom tooth Removal Claims Solicitors in Manchester
Do you still feel numbness or pain weeks after your wisdom tooth was removed?
Do you still feel numbness or pain weeks after your wisdom tooth was removed?
If the local anaesthetic wore off but the symptoms didn’t, permanent nerve damage may be the reason.
Your dentist has a duty to protect the nerves in your jaw during an extraction. If they fell short of that, and you suffered an injury, you may be able to claim compensation. Our solicitors handle wisdom tooth nerve damage claims. Contact us or call us on 0161 877 1066 for free advice on whether you have a case
Wisdom teeth sit at the back of the jaw, and the lower ones grow close to two major nerves. The inferior alveolar nerve runs through the jawbone directly beneath the lower wisdom teeth. The lingual nerve runs along the inside of the lower jaw, close to the roots. Both nerves sit in the area where your dentist works during an extraction.
That’s why wisdom tooth nerve injury is a recognised risk. Your dentist must assess that risk before going ahead and take steps to protect you from it.
You’ll typically know something is wrong once the local anaesthetic wears off. Wisdom tooth nerve damage symptoms usually affect the lower lip, chin, tongue, and jaw. You may notice numbness that has not resolved after a few days. Some people feel a persistent tingling or burning sensation. Others lose some of their sense of taste or find it painful to eat and speak.
If any of these apply to you, you could be suffering from nerve damage. The question is whether it was caused by negligent treatment. Our dental negligence solicitors can assess your case and advise you for free.
Go back to your dentist and report your symptoms as soon as possible. Your dentist should document your issues and refer you for further assessment if the symptoms don’t settle.
If your dentist doesn’t take your symptoms seriously, or if you want a second opinion, ask your GP to refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgery department. An independent assessment by a specialist will give you a clear picture of what has happened and how serious the injury is.
That assessment will also be important evidence for any nerve damage claim you decide to pursue. Our solicitors can advise you on the right steps to take.
The NHS confirms that nerve injury following wisdom tooth removal is usually temporary, but can be permanent if the nerve has been severely damaged.
If your symptoms have not improved after three months, seek an independent dental assessment. Getting seen early gives you a clearer picture of whether recovery is likely and whether you have grounds for a nerve damage after wisdom tooth extraction claim.
Studies show that permanent inferior alveolar nerve damage affects around 0.35% of lower wisdom tooth extractions, and permanent lingual nerve damage around 0.69%.
Those percentages may sound small, but they can represent thousands of patients in the UK every year. Temporary nerve disturbance is more common and usually resolves within weeks or months. But when a nerve has been severed or severely compressed, the changes in sensation may be permanent.
A little pain after dental work is normal, and most of it settles down within a few days. But if the pain lingers or gets worse, something may have gone wrong during treatment. And if your dentist made a mistake or treated you carelessly, you may have grounds for a legal claim.
A woman in her mid-forties won a £40,000 settlement after losing five teeth through 20 years of poor treatment from the same private dentist.
Most personal injury claims follow a similar process, whether you were hurt at work, in a road traffic accident, while cycling, or in a public place. But no two claims are exactly the same.
A personal injury claim can arise when someone else’s negligence causes your injury. This could be a careless driver, an employer, or a business that failed to fix a dangerous condition. But whether you have grounds to make a claim depends on how the accident happened and who is responsible. Not every accident necessarily leads to a valid personal injury claim.
Before removing a lower wisdom tooth, your dentist should take X-rays to assess how close the roots are to the inferior alveolar and lingual nerves. Where the roots sit near the nerve, a cone beam CT scan should be used. Unlike a flat X-ray, it gives a three-dimensional picture.
Your dentist should also have explained the nerve risk to you clearly and referred you to an oral surgeon if the risk was high. Failing to do any of those things may form the basis of your claim.
It’s a known risk of dental work, including wisdom tooth removal. What our solicitors look at is whether your dentist took the right steps to protect you:
If the answer to any of those questions is no, you may have a compensation claim.
What you receive depends on how serious your injury is and whether it’s likely to be permanent. Permanent nerve damage from a wisdom tooth extraction could last a lifetime, so the payout tends to be higher. If your symptoms are temporary and already improving, you will likely receive less money. But you may still have a valid claim for the pain and disruption you’ve had to endure.
Our solicitors look at how the injury affects your ability to eat, drink, speak, and get through your daily routine. They also consider any anxiety or loss of confidence you have experienced and the cost of any further dental treatment arising from the negligent extraction. If you have lost wages, you could be entitled to lost earnings too.
Wisdom tooth removal nerve damage compensation is shaped by the full impact on your life, not just what happened in the dental chair. Once we have all the details, we can give you a clear view of what your case could be worth.
That period runs from the date of your extraction, or may run from the date you became aware that your symptoms were caused by negligent treatment. If you were under 18 at the time of the extraction, the period starts on your 18th birthday.
But don’t wait too long. The sooner you act, the easier it is to gather evidence and access your dental records.
Yes, you can. Lingual nerve damage wisdom tooth cases and inferior alveolar nerve injuries may both still succeed even when a consent form was signed.
A consent form records that you agreed to the procedure. It doesn’t authorise your dentist to carry it out negligently. It also doesn’t replace their duty to explain the nerve damage risk in plain terms before you sign. If that conversation didn’t happen, or you were not given an opportunity to consider alternatives, that failure can be a significant part of your claim.
Our dental negligence solicitors are here to guide you through every stage. We start with a free consultation to listen to your story and give you an honest view of your options. If we take your case on, we’ll request your dental records and appoint an independent expert to assess your nerve injury.
Our solicitors offer wisdom tooth nerve damage no win no fee claims, so you pay nothing upfront. If your claim doesn’t succeed, you pay nothing. Call us on 0161 877 1066 or visit our dental negligence claims page to get started.
Our team of solicitors will handle your case personally.
We are based in Manchester and all our work is done in-house.
Our solicitors are fully trained and qualified to handle your case.
We are dedicated to winning your case and there are no hidden fees.
TJL Solicitors LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales (registered number: OC367616) and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number: 564906). Registered office: Washbrook House, Lancastrian Office Centre, Talbot Road, Manchester, England, M32 0FP. A list of our partners can be found here. We use the word partner to refer to a member of the LLP.
© 2026 TJL Solicitors LLP. Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Complaints
