I had a molar extracted 18 months ago and about 2 weeks following, the right side of my tongue began to burn. I thought it was rubbing against a jagged tooth but when I saw my dentist he said everything looked good. This is the most annoying problem I have ever encountered! It seems to calm down when I chew gum or have a hard candy in my mouth and it makes my tongue feel dry. I drink a lot of water with ice and it subsides for a few minutes. My husband feels the dentist probably hit a nerve when he gave me the shot of novacaine in order to pull the tooth. My question is -- will this ever go away? I am so annoyed with my dentist that I'm contemplating finding another one, but worry that the damange is already done. Any ideas?

Hi Jayde

Have you been back to the dentist since the extraction? A year and a half seems rather excessive for such a situation. Does your tongue feel thick or sensitive in that area? Have you noticed a sore on your tongue? If you're worried, you might even want to check in with an ENT and/or oral surgeon to see what's going on.

Hope everything goes well.

Julia

Hello Jayde

It might be a coincidence. Damage to the nerve at time of injection would have caused an 'electric' shock followed by prolonged numbness, not come on after 2 weeks. It might be a presentation of the Burning Mouth Syndrome. Do see you dentist to eliminate all other possiblities and then see a specialist if it is BMS. Do let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod