Why a Tooth May End Up Going Numb

Why a Tooth May End Up Going Numb Posted on 12/10/2019 by Sundberg Office When we go to the dentist for some procedures, a local anesthetic might be needed to keep you from feeling any pain during the procedure so that you can stay still and let the dentist do what is necessary. However, in the absence of said anesthetic, you have cause for concern when you feel sudden numbness in your mouth. This can happen in one or more areas of your mouth, including the tongue, teeth, lips or gums. The medical term for tingling or numbness in the body is called paresthesia. In such a case, this might be due to various reasons. These include:

Hypocalcemia

When you have very low levels of calcium in the blood, you can sometimes feel numb in the mouth or specifically in the teeth. In such a case, that individual doesn't consume enough food with calcium as needed, have a vitamin D deficiency or don't have parathyroid glands altogether.

Vitamin Deficiency

Our bodies greatly rely on folic acid or vitamin B-12 for the proper functioning of our nerves and keeping them healthy. When you have a deficiency in this vitamin in your bloodstream, you find that you can get numbness in the mouth. If the condition does untreated, you might find yourself with permanent nerve damage which is quite serious.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is a condition that causes damage to the central nervous system. Since the body is one huge network of nerves, the disease can sometimes cause some sections of your body to go numb including your teeth and even the whole of your face. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says that when there is a sudden numbness in the mouth, you might end up biting on the side of the cheeks or tongue which can be quite painful. To find out exactly what is causing the numbness in your teeth, please come in and let us check your mouth. We will ask you questions regarding your medical history, symptoms and maybe carry out a test or two to definitively get the root of the problem. Once we have the cause, we can then discuss a course of treatment.

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PDX Center for Dentistry

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